FCT: NLC Begins Indefinite Strike Over Teachers’ Promotion, Redeployment

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Council has declared an indefinite strike across the FCT, directing public- and private-sector workers to withdraw their services from Wednesday, October 7, 2026. The action follows the expiration of a seven-day ultimatum issued to the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) over unresolved concerns about teachers’ promotions and conditions of service.

In a communiqué issued after its State Executive Council meeting on Monday, October 6, NLC FCT Council Chairman Knabayi Adalo described the FCTA’s response to the union’s demands as “ambiguous and totally unacceptable.”

The council instructed affiliate unions to ensure full member compliance and establish enforcement committees across the FCT. Offices, schools, hospitals, and other government facilities are to remain closed until the union’s demands are met.

On September 8, the NLC issued a seven-day ultimatum calling for the removal of the vacancy requirement for FCT teachers’ promotions, among other measures. It also demanded that teachers eligible for promotion in 2025 be allowed to take their examinations before or alongside the 2026 candidates.

The union also demanded the withdrawal of redeployment and demotion letters issued to directors covered by the Harmonised Retirement Age for Teachers Act, 2022. It further called for the management teams of the FCT State Education Board (FCT SEB) and FCT Universal Basic Education Board (FCT UBEB) to be dissolved and immediately reinstated.

The NLC said the FCTA’s response did not address the vacancy clause, which it blamed for teachers’ career stagnation, or the redeployment of affected directors.

“Teachers in the FCT continue to suffer career stagnation, demoralisation, and humiliation despite their selfless service,” the communiqué stated.

The NLC maintained that teachers should not be subjected to vacancy-based promotion requirements, arguing that they are recruited specifically to teach and are therefore not comparable to pool officers within the civil service.

“Teachers are neither core civil servants nor pool staff and cannot be subjected to vacancy-based promotion schemes meant for pool officers,” the NLC said.

It added that the FCTA’s position could not resolve the dispute without addressing what it described as the underlying injustice.

“There can be no peace without justice,” the council declared.

The union therefore directed all public- and private-sector workers in the FCT to stay away from work from Wednesday, October 7, until further notice. It also warned against victimising any worker who participates in the strike.

The council urged parents, civil society groups, the public, and other stakeholders to press the FCTA to resolve the dispute, warning that the continued impasse could further harm education in the territory. The NLC FCT Council said the strike would be “total and indefinite.”