FCT Primary School Teachers Resume Strike Over Unpaid Minimum Wage
Primary school teachers in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), under the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), have resumed their indefinite strike as of Monday, March 24, 2025. This decision follows the failure to implement the promised N70,000 minimum wage, despite teachers receiving their February 2025 salaries.
The strike was confirmed in a communique issued after an emergency State Wing Standing Committee (SWSC) meeting held in Gwagwalada on Saturday, March 22, 2025. The meeting addressed discrepancies in salary payments, particularly the omission of the new national minimum wage.
“The Union is deeply concerned about the persistent disregard for agreements made with the Area Council Chairmen in the FCT,” the communique stated.
It went on to highlight that the implementation of the new minimum wage for primary school teachers was a key part of the agreements made during previous negotiations, which had led to the suspension of an earlier strike. The union expressed its disappointment, saying, “The payment of February salaries by the Councils without any consideration for the new minimum wage is disheartening, distressing, and shows a lack of empathy for the plight of primary school teachers in the FCT.”
The SWSC also raised questions about the ongoing financial strain on teachers, saying, “Why continue to impoverish those who are already struggling? Why impose further hardship on teachers and their families? Enough is enough!”
The communique outlined several key demands, including the immediate implementation of the new national minimum wage in February salaries, along with the payment of the differential between the old and new wages. Additional demands include the payment of March salaries based on the new wage, disbursement of six months’ worth of minimum wage arrears, and the implementation of various allowances, such as a 40 percent peculiar allowance and other salary increases.
Union members were urged to stand firm in their demands, and parents were advised to keep their children at home during the strike period.
After the meeting, FCT NUT Chairman, Comrade Abdullahi Mohammed Shafas, expressed frustration over the failure of the area council chairmen to fulfill their commitments.
“We suspended our strike in good faith on February 21, 2025, under the assurance that the new minimum wage would be implemented in February,” Shafas said. He described the decision to process February salaries without the new wage as “disturbing, disheartening, and lacking in empathy” for the teachers’ struggles.
