Public primary and secondary schools in Abuja remained shut on Monday, February 2, two weeks after the workers with the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) and the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA) embarked on strike to compel the FCTA to meet their demands.
In addition to the schools, primary health centres (PHCs) and Area Council secretariats in the nation’s capital are not providing services because of the strike.
Checks by The ICIR showed that schools in several area councils were locked, with pupils turned back at the gates and no teachers or administrators on duty.
In two public schools within Lugbe, Abuja Municipal Area Council, The ICIR confirmed that students who arrived early for classes were stranded outside the school premises, uncertain whether academic activities would resume.
Some pupils waited for several minutes before eventually leaving, expressing frustration over the continued disruption.
The strike continued despite an interlocutory injunction issued last week by the National Industrial Court of Nigeria (NICN) directing workers under the Joint Union Action Committee (JUAC) in the FCT to suspend their strike.
The court, presided over by E.D. Subilim, restrained JUAC and its leadership from continuing the industrial action pending the determination of the substantive suit filed by the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike and the FCTA.
The judge ruled that although the matter constituted a trade dispute and satisfied the necessary legal requirements, workers’ right to strike was not absolute. He held that once a trade dispute is referred to the National Industrial Court, workers are barred from embarking on any strike action, and where a strike is already underway, it must be suspended pending the court’s determination.
However, workers have openly dismissed the ruling, insisting they are no longer “on strike” but are instead observing a “stay-at-home” action until their demands are met.
“We are no more on strike, but we are in our house. Let them open the gate wide; we are in our house. Tell them Wike has won. Let them open all the gates,” one of the protesters, said.
The worker, who was addressing journalists alongside her colleagues, added that employees would only resume duties after their demands were met.
The ICIR reported that primary and secondary schools were shut after the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), FCT chapter, directed its members to comply with the JUAC strike following a call by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) for all affiliates in the territory to withdraw services.
A communiqué announcing the shutdown was signed by the FCT NUT Chairman, Abdullahi Shafas; Secretary, Margaret Jethro; and Publicity Secretary, Ibukun Adekeye.
JUAC had embarked on the strike following what it described as the government’s failure to address long-standing grievances, including the non-payment of promotion arrears, delays in promotion exercises, unpaid wage awards, and the alleged non-remittance of statutory deductions such as pensions and housing funds.
The ongoing shutdown adds to the prolonged disruption of public education in the FCT. The ICIR reported that public primary schools in the FCT lost at least 165 school days to strikes since 2023, following repeated industrial actions by teachers over unpaid salaries and allowances.
The current strike has expanded the crisis, affecting both primary and secondary schools, and raising concerns among many Nigerians.
Meanwhile, Wike has warned that any worker who failed to comply with the court’s order would be punished.
Shortly after the ruling, the Acting Head of the Civil Service of the FCT, Nancy Nathan, directed all permanent secretaries and heads of departments to immediately implement and maintain staff attendance registers.
Mustapha Usman is an investigative journalist with the International Centre for Investigative Reporting. You can easily reach him via: musman@icirnigeria.com. He tweets @UsmanMustapha_M