News Agency of Nigeria
FCT area council workers suspend strike following Wike’s intervention 
Metro

FCT area council workers suspend strike following Wike’s intervention 

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By Philip Yatai

The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) chapter of the Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) has suspended its three-month strike following the intervention of the FCT Minister, Mr Nyesom Wike.

The suspension was announced by the union in a statement, jointly signed by its President, Ibrahim Kabir and Secretary, Andulmumini Sa’ad, in Abuja on Monday.

The union explained that its State Executive Council (SEC) resolved to suspend the strike effective from midnight after exhaustive deliberation on Monday.

It said that the development followed Wike’s directive to utilise area councils’ 10 per cent Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) to offset the workers’ three months’ salary arrears.

The union said that another resolution was for NULGE to work with the Special Committee constituted by Wike to harmonise all outstanding arrears within two weeks.

This, according to the union, was to ensure a holistic resolution through the National Assembly House Committee on FCT and Ancillary Matters.

The workers added that the union would engage with the area council chairmen to address outstanding issues.

“NULGE is committed to sustaining industrial peace and harmony within the council and FCT at large.

“The union expresses its profound gratitude to the FCT minister, the traditional council of FCT, and all relevant stakeholders for their efforts in resolving the industrial action,” the workers said.

The union identified the outstanding issues as 40 per cent peculiar allowance from January 2023 to date and 25 per cent and 35 per cent salary adjustments from June 2023.

Other issues are N35,000 wage award for six months from August 2024 to date, unremitting pension deductions, promotion arrears and other outstanding entitlements.

“The union remains committed to engaging with the area council chairmen on the remaining entitlements and looks forward to a swift resolution of all outstanding issues,” the statement said. (NAN)

Edited by Abiemwense Moru

FCT primary teachers to call off strike following Wike’s intervention  
Metro

FCT primary teachers to call off strike following Wike’s intervention  

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By Philip Yatai

The Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), Federal Capital Territory (FCT), may soon call off the three-month primary school teachers’ strike, following the intervention of the FCT Minister Nyesom Wike.

Chief of Staff to the minister, Mr Chidi Amadi disclosed this in Abuja on Thursday, after a closed-door meeting with the area council chairmen, leadership of the NUT, and representatives of the FCT Administration.

Other participants at the meeting, he said, included representatives of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANs) and the National Assembly.

Amadi explained that the meeting was convened by the minister, in addition to previous interventions to find a lasting solution to the prolonged teachers’ strike.

According to him, after extensive deliberation, a decision was reached to put the issues to rest.

He announced that part of the resolution was to withhold the 10 per cent accrued Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) of the area councils for the past six months.

He explained that the funds would be used to settle 70 per cent of the minimum wage owed the teachers.

“Although it will not cover 100 per cent of the debt for now, it will cover about 70 per cent. This is a laudable move towards addressing the fracas once and for all.

The chief of staff added that the minister had also directed that a Special Committee be constituted, composed of three members of NUT, two members from FCTA, one of the area council chairmen and representative of NANs.

He added that the committee would revisit all the other outstanding issues and within the next two weeks, submit a report detailing how the other outstanding issues would be permanently addressed.

“In addition to addressing the issues of the primary school teachers, Wike had taken a decision to address all outstanding issues of the local government employees.

“The minister pledged to personally intervene to ensure that their demands are addressed by the FCTA.

“This is to ensure that the area councils resume full operations effectively immediately.

Speaking on behalf of the area council chairmen, Mr Abubakar Abdullahi, acknowledged the resolution, saying “although it was not in favour of the area councils, it was necessary to resolve the issues.

“Six months of our IGR had been held to settle this issue. Ours at this point is to appeal to NUT to consider our children and call off the strike.

“Please NUT, we are calling on you to respect the fact that the minister has taken his time to resolve this matter.

“Wike had clearly stated that by law, he has no right to take the 10 per cent IGR of the area councils to clear the outstanding debt of the teachers.

“However, the chairmen have all agreed because they also, collectively, want an end to the strike and so we have agreed that the 10 per cent IGR should go to the teachers”.

He expressed optimism that the strike would be called off before Friday, so that children would go back to school.

Also, the National President of NANs, Olushola Oladoja, lauded the resolutions and expressed hope that the outcome would finally put the matter to rest and the teachers return to class.

Oladoja commended the minister for taking the bold step, stressing that any of the council chairmen could take him to court over such a decision.

“However, I believe because the council chairmen also want the issue resolved, they have no option but to concede the IGR for six months,” he said.

On his part, the NUT Chairman, Mohammed Shafa, acknowledged the deliberation, but said he would get back to the NUT State Executive Council, where the final decision would be taken.

The news Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the teachers had embarked on the strike in March over non-implementation of minimum wage

Other issues included non-implementation and payment of 25 per cent and 35 per cent salary increase, and non-implementation and payment of 40 per cent peculiar allowance.

The union were also demanding the payment of the N35,000 wage award and the implementation of the template on outstanding entitlements of teachers as agreed in 2022. (NAN)

Edited by Rotimi Ijikanmi

Wike meets area council chairmen, NUT, NANs over teachers’ strike 
Metro

Wike meets area council chairmen, NUT, NANs over teachers’ strike 

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By Philip Yatai

The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Mr Nyesom Wike, will meet with chairmen of FCT area councils, leadership of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) and National Association of Nigeria Students (NANs) on Thursday.

The meeting, according to a statement by NANs in Abuja on Wednesday, is to finalise modalities for the reopening of all public primary schools in the FCT.

The statement was signed by NANs National President, Olushola Oladoja and the association’s National Public Relations Officer, Adeyemi Ajasa.

The association explained that it had earlier resolved to stage a mass protest Wednesday morning at the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) Secretariat.

It added that its leadership was invited to a high-level engagement at the Department of State Services (DSS) Headquarters, where the issues at hand were thoroughly discussed in the interest of national security and students’ welfare.

It said that the first meeting at the DSS paved the way for a second strategic meeting with the Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on FCT, Muktar Betara.

NANs said that the engagement revealed the root causes of the ongoing industrial action by the NUT and the efforts made thus far by the Wike-led FCTA.

It added that a third meeting was held with Wike on Tuesday, where the minister explained the issues at hand.

“That the FCT remains the only unit of the federation operating full local government autonomy, hence all salary payments, including that of primary school teachers, are the sole responsibility of the area councils.

“The FCT Administration is not directly responsible for the backlog of teachers’ salaries and therefore should not be held solely accountable for the inadequacies of the area councils.

“In a show of responsibility and commitment to resolving the crisis, Wike intervened by proposing a bailout—with FCTA offering to pay 60 per cent of the outstanding arrears while the area councils cover the remaining 40 per cent.

“When it became clear that this arrangement was not yielding desired results, the FCT minister withheld the Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) of the area councils for the months of May and June, with a plan to utilize these funds to make up the 40 per cent requested of area council to clear the outstanding arrears owed to teachers.

“That based on this intervention, it was expected that the two-month arrears withheld be ready before the end of the week,” it said.

The association said that based on the productive engagements and emerging progress, it hereby suspends the planned protest while keeping close tabs on the implementation of all resolutions reached.

“We reaffirm our commitment to defending the rights of Nigerian students and ensuring that no child is denied access to education due to governmental lapses,” he said. (NAN)

Edited by Sadiya Hamza

Strike: CSOs decry setback in malaria, HIV services in FCT
Health

Strike: CSOs decry setback in malaria, HIV services in FCT

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Strike

By Justina Auta

A coalition of Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) has raised serious concerns over the disruption of malaria, tuberculosis, and HIV interventions in Primary Health Care (PHC) facilities across the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

The disruption followed an ongoing workers’ strike that had significantly affected the delivery of essential health services in the territory.

The CSOs voiced their concerns during a courtesy visit to the FCT PHC Board and the State Malaria Elimination Programme (SMEP) Secretariat on Friday.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that in March, the joint unions of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) and the Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) directed workers across the six area councils of the FCT to embark on a sit-at-home strike.

The industrial action was aimed at pressing for the implementation of the N70,000 minimum wage and the settlement of other outstanding entitlements by the area council authorities.

The industrial action had resulted in the prolonged closure of primary healthcare centres and schools, significantly limiting access to essential services for residents.

Mr Samuel Simon, FCT Programme Officer for the TB Network, said their recent visit to PHCs supported under the COVID-19 Response Mechanism and Resilient and Sustainable Systems for Health (C19RM/RSSH) Global Fund Project revealed troubling findings.

He noted that many of the facilities remained shut, hindering access to critical health services at the community level.

“The strike, which has crippled healthcare services, has severely impacted the delivery of essential health programmes, putting vulnerable populations at risk,” Simon stated.

Mr Nathaniel Salifu, FCT Coordinator of the Tuberculosis Network, expressed similar concerns, noting the broader implications for malaria and HIV responses.

“With PHC facilities largely inaccessible, concerns are mounting over a potential surge in untreated cases, disease transmission, and preventable deaths.

“This will have devastating effects, not just on communities, but also on the progress made in achieving universal health coverage,” he warned.

Mr Peter Ikiti, FCT Coordinator for the Network of People Living with HIV and AIDS in Nigeria (NEPWHAN), called on all relevant authorities to urgently address the industrial dispute.

He stressed the need to safeguard health and education services, especially for vulnerable populations affected by the ongoing strike.

Dr Julius Ibecheole, FCT State Coordinator of the Association of Civil Society Organisations in Malaria Control, Immunisation and Nutrition (ACOMIN), also called for immediate action.

“We are calling for urgent steps to resolve these issues and restore uninterrupted healthcare services that protect the health and well-being of residents, especially those most vulnerable to diseases,” Ibecheole said.

Responding to the concerns, Mrs Elizabeth Ladipo, FCT PHC Board State Health Educator, acknowledged the negative impact of the strike on vulnerable communities but assured stakeholders that advocacy efforts were ongoing to ensure a resolution.

Likewise, Hajiya Zainab Ibrahim, Programme Manager of SMEP, noted that some interventions, with the support of development partners, were continuing, particularly around the distribution of malaria elimination drugs.

Meanwhile, Dr Stephen Knabayi, Chairman of the NLC, FCT Chapter, warned that the union would shut down Abuja after July 3 if authorities failed to resolve the ongoing industrial disputes affecting area council workers. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Abiemwense Moru

Strike: NUBA Polytechnic lecturers earn less than NYSC members – ASUP
Education

Strike: NUBA Polytechnic lecturers earn less than NYSC members – ASUP

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By Mustapha Yauri

The Academic Staff Union of Polytechnic (ASUP), Nuhu Bamalli Polytechnic, Zaria Chapter, has raised alarm over alleged poor salaries earned by the polytechnic lecturers as the union continues its strike.

The union alleged that the lecturers earned less than the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members, which according to it, is sparking concerns over educators’ welfare.

The Chairman of the union, Malam Usman-Shehu Suleiman, made this known in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Zaria on Thursday.

NAN reports that the joint staff unions had embarked on a one-week warning strike on June 16, which grounded academic activities at the two campuses of the institution.

The strike was hinged on the non implementation of the National Polytechnic and Colleges of Education Salary Structure and implementation of the 65 years retirement age for non-teaching staff among others.

Suleiman, who is also the Chairman, Joint Action Committee of the staff unions of the institutions, said the net pay of an assistant lecturer at the institution was N64, 400, which he said was far below the monthly allowance of NYSC members.

“This, among other reasons, caused the institutions to experience drastic brain-drain and many lecturers are on the verge of leaving the institution.

“We lose cohorts of lecturers to Federal University of Transportation Daura, Katsina State; Federal Polytechnic Gombe and Kaduna State University (KASU) among other institutions.

“We have an instance where a lecturer was sponsored to acquire masters and Ph.D by the institution upon his return; he found the situation unbearable and decided to leave,” he said.

However, the chairman added that the lecturer had signed a bond with the institution, therefore, he had to repay NUBA Polytechnic over N21m.

The chairman described the situation as ‘bad omen’ for the education sector.

Similarly, Abubakar Aliyu-Shika, Chairman, Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Polytechnic (SSANIP), NUBA Polytechnic branch, said the union had been agitating for the improvement of salary since 2009, “almost 16 years ago.

“We had series of agreements with the state government on June 11, 2010, and June 19, 2014 over the matter and nothing was done besides just signing the agreement and complaints of paucity of funds.”

He added that on Dec. 17 2024, Gov. Uba Sani assured the leadership of the joint unions that the Polytechnic and College of Education Salary Structure (2024) would be implemented by the first quarter of 2025.

“Regrettably, we are at the end of the second quarter of the year and no concrete steps have been taken to fulfill this promise,” he said.

Aliyu-Shika noted that one of the excuses was paucity of funds in the state and the government would fully implement the new salary structure when the Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) improved.

He added that the total staff strength of the polytechnic was little above 900, saying, ”now, the government has recruited 500 new staff; it means the financial situation has improved, hence our demands.” (NAN)

Edited by Esenvosa Izah/Muhammad Lawal

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