FCT primary school teachers begin strike today

The FCT wing of Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) said it was standing by its earlier directive to primary school teachers in the territory to begin strike today.

The union in a circular Friday directed members across the six area councils to commence strike today over failure of the councils’ chairmen to pay 25 months minimum arrears and non-implementation of 40 per cent peculiar allowance of its members.

The general secretary of the FCT wing of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), Comrade Margaret I. Jethro, said primary school teachers’ strike will commence today, January15, 2023 as earlier declared.

Margaret, while speaking with our reporter through a telephone Sunday evening said since the union issued a communique on Friday, declaring its strike action, the council chairmen have continued to ignore them, adding that the teachers have not even been paid December 2023 salary except those in Abaji Area Council.

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“I want to tell you that nothing has changed; FCT primary school teachers’ strike will commence Monday, January 15, 2024, as declared in the communique we issued to newsmen on Friday,” she said.

The union on Friday gave the directive in a communique jointly signed by the state NUT chairman, Comrade Shafas Abdullahi Shafas, Comrade Margaret I. Jethro and publicity secretary, Ibikun Adekeye, at the end of an emergency meeting of the State Wing Standing Committee (SWSC) held at teachers’ house in Gwagwalada, on Friday.

The union said despite assurances and intervention of the FCT minister, Nyesom Wike, in resolving the issues, which led to the union’s suspension of the strike action held on September 11, 2023 for six weeks to honour the minister and give him ample time for the resolution of the issues, nothing has happened.

The union, therefore, advised parents to keep their children and wards in primary schools safe at home.

When contacted, the FCT chairman of the Association of Local Government of Nigeria (ALGON) who is also the chairman of Kwali Area Council, Danladi Chiya, did not pick calls or reply to a text message sent to his phone over the strike action.