FCT NLC Begins Indefinite Strike Over Teachers’ Promotion and Welfare Dispute

The Federal Capital Territory Council of the Nigeria Labour Congress has commenced an indefinite strike over unresolved disputes involving teachers’ promotions, welfare and employment status within the territory.

The industrial action began on Wednesday, October 7, 2026, after the council reached a decision at its State Executive Council meeting held a day earlier at Labour House in Abuja. In a statement signed by FCT NLC Chairman Knabayi Adalo, the labour body instructed workers across both public and private sectors in the territory to remain away from their workplaces until further notice.

The strike followed the expiry of a seven-day ultimatum previously issued to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory. Among the union’s demands is the removal of a requirement that available vacancies must exist before FCT teachers can be promoted. The council is also seeking another opportunity for eligible teachers from the 2025 promotion cycle to take their promotion examinations.

A further point of contention concerns directors affected by administrative actions linked to the Harmonised Teachers Retirement Age Act, 2022. The NLC wants redeployment and demotion letters issued to affected directors withdrawn. The council maintains that teachers should not be handled under the same vacancy-based promotion arrangements applied to officers within the general civil-service pool.

According to the union, teachers are recruited specifically for educational duties and should become eligible for advancement when they meet the relevant conditions. The council said the response it received from the FCT Administration after issuing its ultimatum did not adequately resolve the vacancy requirement or its complaints about the treatment of affected directors.

The labour body also rejected what it described as an attempt to preserve industrial peace without resolving the underlying concerns raised by teachers. It said its members would remain on strike until the disputed matters are addressed and emphasised that the action was not intended as a short warning stoppage.

The NLC appealed to parents and other FCT residents for understanding while the strike continues. It also called on civil society groups and members of the public to encourage the FCT Administration to respond to the workers’ demands, arguing that the dispute has implications for the territory’s education system.

As of the time covered by the source report, the FCT Administration had not publicly responded to the declaration of the indefinite strike. The duration of the action will therefore depend on developments in negotiations between the labour council and the administration over the teachers’ promotion and welfare issues.