FCT Teachers to Begin Indefinite Strike Monday Over Unpaid Entitlements, Promotion Delays

By Emmanuel Kwada

The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) chapter of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) has directed all primary and secondary school teachers across the six area councils to commence an indefinite strike starting Monday, April 20, 2026.

The decision was announced by the FCT NUT Chairman, Comrade Abdullahi Mohammed Shafas, after an emergency State Wing Executive Council (SWEC) meeting held late Friday at the Teachers House in Gwagwalada.

The union is protesting the FCT Administration’s failure to release and implement the report of a committee set up to address outstanding entitlements of primary school teachers, as well as the continued use of “vacancy” as a precondition for promotion of classroom teachers.

Comrade Shafas demanded an immediate comprehensive review of the 2004 promotion exercise conducted by the FCT Civil Service Commission to enable eligible teachers to advance without hindrance.

He explained that the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, had constituted a committee on July 7, 2025, with a two-week mandate to harmonise all outstanding entitlements and recommend lasting solutions to recurring industrial disputes in the education sector.

The committee reportedly submitted its report in August 2025, but the document is yet to be made public or implemented.

Despite the expiration of a seven-day ultimatum on March 19, 2026, and a subsequent 28-day grace period granted to the authorities, the union said there has been no meaningful response from the FCT Administration.

“And it was on this premise that after exhaustive deliberations… the meeting resolved that all public primary and secondary school teachers in the FCT shall with effect from Monday, 20 April, 2026, proceed on an indefinite strike until the demands of the union are met,” Shafas stated.

The union has directed all affected teachers to comply fully with the strike directive and advised parents and guardians to keep their children and wards at home until further notice.

Public primary and secondary schools in the FCT were scheduled to resume for the second term of the 2025/2026 academic session on Monday, April 20, 2026, meaning the strike will disrupt academic activities right from the first day of resumption.

The development comes amid prevailing economic hardship, which the union said has further worsened the plight of teachers whose entitlements remain unpaid.

This latest industrial action adds to a series of strikes that have plagued the education sector in recent years. It is expected to affect thousands of pupils and students across the Federal Capital Territory at a critical time in the academic calendar.

As of the time of this report, the FCT Administration is yet to issue an official reaction to the NUT’s strike notice. Parents and stakeholders are anxiously awaiting any last-minute intervention that could avert the disruption of the school calendar.

The indefinite strike is likely to intensify pressure on the FCT Administration to address the long-standing grievances of teachers in the territory.