FCT teachers suspend strike

After more than three months of disrupted academic activities, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) chapter of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) has officially called off its strike action, offering much-needed relief to thousands of students and parents across Abuja.

The announcement came on Tuesday following an emergency state wing meeting held in the capital. In a communiqué released after the meeting, the union instructed all striking teachers in public schools across the FCT to return to classrooms starting Wednesday.

The strike, which began in March 2025, had paralyzed learning in government-run schools and sparked concerns over the academic future of students affected by the prolonged shutdown.

According to the communique, the suspension was “consequent upon the implementation of the new minimum wage and payment of five months arrears into the teachers’ accounts today, 8th July 2025.”

The NUT appealed to “all primary school teachers in FCT to, with effect from Wednesday, 9th July 2025 return to the classrooms and continue with their legitimate duties while the union intensifies more efforts to ensure the settlement of the remaining entitlements.’

It hinted that it would constitute a special committee to, within two weeks, harmonize all the outstanding arrears detailing the sourcing of funds for the permanent settlement of all the backlog.

“Following the ongoing Strike Action by the Primary School Teachers in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) from the 24th of March 2025 and consequent upon the intervention of the Honourable Minister of FCT on Thursday 3rd July 2025, the State Wing Executive Council (SWEC) of the Union held an emergency session on Friday 4th July, 2025 to deliberate on the offer made by the Honourable Minister end to review the strike action.

“The SWEC in- Session lamented the insensitivity and lack of commitment of the Primary School Education stakeholders in the FCT, but applauded the intervention of the Honourable Minister on the impasse through the Stakeholder meeting involving the Chairman, House Committee on FCT, Chairman, House Committee on FCT, Area Councils and ancillary matters, FCT Head of Service, FCT Permanent Secretary Treasury, Executives of the NUT and a host of others.

“The SWEC In Session noted that the Honourable Minister reiterated the payment of FCT primary school teachers salaries as the responsibility of the Area Councils but emphasised the inadequacy of their allocation to coter for the payment and therefore offered the following: 1) The release of the Area Councils six months 10% FCT accrued Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) amounting to N16 billion to augment for the payment of the new minimum wage for June and 60% of its nine months arrears

“Constitutions of a special committee to, within two weeks, harmonize all the outstanding arrears detailing the sourcing of funds for the permanent settlement of all the backlog.

“Having deliberated exhaustively on the aforementioned offers, including the positive disposition of the Honourable Minister for the taking over the payment of the primary school teachers emoluments by the FCTA, the SWEC-In-Session resolved to suspend the Strike action on the release of the N16 billion and its payment to the Teachers accounts.

“Consequent upon the implementation of the New Minimum Wage and payment of five months Arrears into the Teachers accounts today, 8th July 2025; the SWEC, hereby suspends the ongoing Strike action and appeals to all Primary School Teachers in FCT to, with effect from Wednesday, 9th July 2025 return to the classrooms and continue with their legitimate duties while the Union intensifies more efforts to ensure the settlement of the remaining entitlements, “it read.

The union thanked members, especially the primary school teachers, for their unwavering support, solidarity, cooperation and prayers while the strike lasted.

“Our special thanks go to the FCT royal fathers, Civil Society Organizations, CSOs and other well-meaning individuals who, in one way or the other intervened and stood by us during the strike,“ it further read.