The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Council, has suspended its indefinite strike over unresolved labour disputes involving teachers and other education officers, directing affected workers to resume duty on Wednesday, October 21, 2026.
The decision followed negotiations between the union, the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA), the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) and the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment, which produced resolutions on teachers’ promotion, career progression and the redeployment of school directors.
The strike began on October 7 after the expiration of a seven-day ultimatum issued to the FCTA over demands that included the removal of vacancy requirements for teachers’ promotion, the reconsideration of eligible officers for the 2025 promotion examination and the withdrawal of redeployment and demotion letters issued to certain directors.
In a communiqué issued after a meeting of its State Executive Council, the NLC said vacancies for the promotion of education officers would be aligned with establishment positions declared by the Education Secretariat. It added that the anticipated departure of several directorate staff members was expected to create opportunities for the promotion of eligible officers.
On the 2025 promotion examination, the union said a new date would be announced to enable eligible candidates to participate, following approval by the FCT Executive Council.
The NLC also addressed concerns over the redeployment of school directors who benefited from the Harmonised Retirement Age for Teachers Act, 2022. According to the communiqué, further action on the redeployment of the affected officers would be suspended pending additional directives.
The industrial action had disrupted public school activities across the territory and prompted a response from FCT Minister Nyesom Wike, who described the strike as politically motivated and threatened to enforce a “no work, no pay” policy against participating workers.
Wike had also directed the chairmen of the FCT’s six area councils to enforce the policy against striking teachers and other civil servants. However, the labour unions maintained that the industrial action followed due process and continued to press for the resolution of their outstanding demands.
Following the latest agreements, the NLC declared the strike suspended with immediate effect and directed affected workers to return to their duty posts.
The council further announced plans to establish a monitoring committee to track the implementation of the agreements within the stipulated timelines. It warned that failure to implement any of the resolutions would lead to an automatic resumption of the strike without further notice.
The union also assured workers that they would not face victimisation or reprisals for participating in the industrial action, while commending FCT teachers for their discipline and solidarity throughout the strike.
