Key Points

• FCTA and FCDA staff begin indefinite strike over unpaid promotions and welfare issues.

• Workers refuse to return until FCT Minister Wike meets with the union.

• FCTA says most demands have been addressed, urging non-striking staff to continue work.

Workers of the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) and the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA) started an indefinite strike on Monday.

The strike shut down government offices across Abuja, including the FCTA Secretariat, which was heavily guarded by security personnel.

When our reporter visited the secretariat at around 8:10 a.m., members of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps and the Nigeria Police Force were at the entrance, stopping staff from entering. A security officer said staff could not go in because of the strike.

Workers Demand Meeting With Wike

The strike was called by the Joint Union Action Congress (JUAC) after a seven-day ultimatum to the FCTA management was ignored.

The unions said their welfare issues, including unpaid promotions, were not addressed.

Musa Istifanus, JUAC vice president, told journalists the strike would continue until the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, meets with them. He said the union has tried several times to talk to the minister without success.

Unresolved Welfare Issues

Workers complained about several problems, including unpaid promotion arrears from 2023 and 2024, delayed wage awards, pension remittances, and other deductions.

Istifanus also criticized the 2024 promotion exam, which he said failed most staff due to technical problems with the computer-based test.

He said the strike is indefinite and would only stop once the issues are resolved.

FCTA Responds

The FCTA said it has already addressed 10 out of 14 worker demands and is working on the rest.

A statement by Lere Olayinka, Senior Special Assistant to the FCT Minister on Public Communications, said some workers, including members of the Law Officers Association, are not part of the strike and should be allowed to work.

Olayinka added that wage awards, hazard allowances, and rural allowances have been paid. Promotion arrears and overstay issues are being addressed.

He also said the National Housing Fund and pension contributions are the responsibility of workers themselves, and a committee has been set up to resolve these issues.

The FCTA called the strike “unnecessary and ill-motivated” and urged security agencies to ensure non-striking workers can access their offices.