Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has directed the chairmen of the six area councils to enforce the “no work, no pay” policy against teachers and other civil servants participating in the indefinite strike declared by the FCT chapter of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC). Wike gave the directive on Friday after an administrative meeting in Abuja, describing the strike as politically motivated and insisting that the issues raised by organised labour had been addressed and agreed measures were being implemented.
He maintained that the FCT Administration had no outstanding dispute with the area councils, local education authorities or primary schools, warning that the government would not tolerate what he described as political blackmail. “We want to state categorically and let it be known to the public: this so-called strike declaration is political, and we will not accept it. We will not accept it because there’s no basis for anybody to call for a strike.
“We don’t have any issue with the local government areas, local education authorities, or primary schools,” the minister said. Wike further claimed that some stakeholders in the education sector, including representatives of senior primary school teachers, had rejected the industrial action because they considered it unnecessary. “The body of senior primary school teachers have said no, they cannot be party to this strike, that it’s uncalled for.
“All the things they are talking about have been agreed upon and are being implemented, so why do we go on strike? They said, ‘No, we cannot be part of this, we have no problem,’” he said. Addressing the workers’ grievances, the minister said the process of resolving promotion-related issues was ongoing, while matters concerning directors were being handled through established administrative procedures.
He directed the area council chairmen to ensure that teachers and other civil servants returned to their duty posts, warning that salaries would be withheld for periods during which workers participated in the strike. “I have directed the area councils to go back and call their teachers and civil servants. If anybody does this, we’ll implement ‘no work, no pay.’ “Enough is enough; we can’t continue with this,” Wike said.
The minister also accused the FCT NLC chairman of allowing partisan political interests to influence the union’s activities, alleging that he had contested an area council election on the platform of the African Democratic Congress (ADC). Wike claimed the strike was intended to portray the FCT as being in crisis, particularly by creating the impression that schools were shut ahead of future elections.
“If you ask who the chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress is, he was a former Area Council candidate of the ADC in the last election. “You can see his interest trying to see that FCT is in crisis, and then wants to use it as a political tool—that FCT teachers are at home, nobody is teaching students, so how can you now go for elections when pupils are at home?” he said. He urged the NLC chairman to separate union leadership from partisan politics, arguing that anyone seeking political office should relinquish their position in the labour movement.
“We cannot accept that blackmail. If you want to involve yourself in politics, you are free to do so, but excuse yourself from the leadership of the union so you don’t politicise it,” the minister added. In a related development, Wike ordered an enforcement operation against unauthorised commercial activities and illegal structures along the corridor stretching from Gwagwalada to Asokoro, citing security concerns.
He said the administration had received reports that some individuals were establishing beer parlours, motor parks and other commercial facilities without official approval. “We have been told of some issues of security threats extending from certain areas of Gwagwalada to Asokoro, where some people are trying to open up beer parlour businesses, motor parks, and all of that. “There are no such approvals, and we will not allow that,” he said.
Wike directed the Department of Development Control to work with security agencies to remove illegal structures and stop unauthorised commercial operations in the affected areas. He said the operation was intended to prevent potential security breaches and ensure compliance with the FCT’s development regulations. The directives come amid the ongoing labour dispute, as the FCT Administration seeks to enforce its position on the strike while addressing security concerns linked to unauthorised developments across the territory.
