The primary school teachers’ strike, which had been ongoing since January in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), has now been lifted.
Teachers from FCT primary schools had embarked on the strike due to issues related to the nonpayment of their 25-month national minimum wage arrears and the non-implementation of the 40% peculiar allowance by the six area council chairmen of the FCT.
In a joint communique signed by the FCT wing chairman of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), Abdullahi Mohammed Shafas; Secretary, Margaret F. Jethro; and Publicity Secretary, Ibikun Adekeye, it was announced that the decision to suspend the strike was made after an emergency meeting of the State Wing Executive Committee (SWEC) at the Teachers House in Gwagwalada, FCT, held late Friday evening.
The union stated that the suspension resulted from the intervention of FCT Minister Nyesom Wike, who committed to paying 40% of the total sum of the 25 months’ arrears of the national minimum wage. Additionally, the six area council chairmen pledged to pay the remaining 60% amounting to N7 billion within three months, starting from January 2024.
