A fresh crisis is unfolding in the Federal Capital Territory as the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), FCT Council, has ordered workers across the territory to embark on an indefinite strike beginning Wednesday, October 7, 2026.
The sweeping directive affects workers in both the public and private sectors and is expected to disrupt activities in schools, government offices, hospitals and other establishments across Abuja.
The decision came after the expiration of a seven-day ultimatum issued to the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) over unresolved grievances involving the promotion and welfare of FCT teachers.
At its State Executive Council meeting on Monday, October 6, the NLC rejected the FCTA’s response to its demands, describing it as “ambiguous and totally unacceptable.”
In a communiqué signed by FCT Council Chairman, Knabayi Adalo, the labour body ordered its affiliate unions to immediately mobilise their members for full compliance with the strike.
Enforcement committees are also expected to be deployed across the territory to ensure the action is fully observed.
At the centre of the dispute is the controversial vacancy requirement for the promotion of FCT teachers, which the NLC says has left many teachers facing prolonged career stagnation.
The union wants the requirement removed and has demanded that teachers who became eligible for promotion in 2025 be allowed to take their promotion examinations before or alongside the 2026 candidates.
The NLC is also demanding 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 dissolution of the management teams of the FCT State Education Board and FCT Universal Basic Education Board, with their immediate reinstatement.
The labour body accused the FCTA of failing to confront what it described as the root of the crisis, insisting that teachers should not be subjected to promotion conditions designed for pool officers in 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 stated.
The council warned that the continued treatment of teachers under the disputed system had resulted in career stagnation, demoralisation and humiliation.
“There can be no peace without justice,” the NLC declared.
With the strike now underway, the union has directed workers across the FCT to remain at home until its demands are addressed.
It also warned against victimisation of workers who participate in the industrial action.
The NLC appealed to parents, civil society groups and other stakeholders to intervene and prevail on the FCTA to resolve the dispute, warning that the prolonged standoff could deepen the crisis in the territory’s education sector.
For now, the NLC has made its position clear: the strike is total and indefinite.
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