A resolution to the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) teachers’ 100-day strike appears to be on the horizon as Minister Nyesom Wike is set to meet with FCT Area Council Chairmen, leaders from the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), and National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) representatives on Thursday, July 3.
According to a NANS statement released in Abuja on Wednesday, the meeting’s primary goal is to finalize plans for the reopening all public primary schools in the FCT.
The statement was signed by NANS’ National President, Olushola Oladoja, and the National Public Relations Officer, Adeyemi Ajasa.
The association explained that it had earlier resolved to stage a mass protest on 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.
The statement noted that the initial meeting at the DSS facilitated a second strategic meeting with Rep. Muktar Betara, Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on FCT.
According to NANS, the meeting highlighted the root causes of the NUT’s strike and the steps taken by the FCT Authority under Wike to resolve the issue.
It added that a third meeting was held with Wike on Tuesday, where the minister explained the issues at hand.
The statement reads: “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 utilise 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.”
The association said that based on the productive engagements and emerging progress, it decided to suspend 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,” the statement added.
Persecondnews recalls that primary school teachers in the FCT have been on strike since March 24, 2025, protesting the failure of the Area Council Chairmen to implement the new national minimum wage of N70,000 approved by President Tinubu’s administration since 2024.
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