NLC Shuts Down FCT Indefinitely Over Teachers’ Promotion Dispute

The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Council of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has declared an indefinite strike across the territory, directing workers in the public and private sectors to shut down schools, hospitals, government offices and other establishments.

The industrial action commenced on Wednesday, October 7, following the expiration of a seven-day ultimatum issued to the FCT Administration (FCTA) over the promotion of teachers.

The NLC said the FCTA failed to satisfactorily address its demands, particularly the controversial requirement that teachers must wait for available vacancies before they can be promoted.

According to the labour council, the policy has resulted in prolonged career stagnation among teachers, arguing that promotion in the teaching profession should be based on eligibility and qualification rather than the availability of vacancies.

In a resolution signed by its Chairman, Comrade Knabayi Adalo, the FCT NLC maintained that teachers employed by the FCT Universal Basic Education Board (UBEB) and FCT Secondary Education Board (SEB) were recruited specifically for teaching duties and should therefore be promoted as and when due.

The council argued that FCT teachers are neither core civil servants nor pool staff and should not be subjected to a vacancy-based promotion system applicable to pool officers.

NLC’s Key Demands

The labour body is demanding that teachers who became due for promotion in 2025 be allowed to sit for their promotion examinations either before or alongside the 2026 candidates.

It is also calling for the withdrawal of redeployment and demotion letters issued to directors who benefited from the Harmonised Retirement Age for Teachers Act, 2022.

The NLC further demanded the immediate reinstatement of the dissolved management teams of the FCT Secondary Education Board and FCT Universal Basic Education Board.

The decision to embark on the strike was reached at the council’s State Executive Council (SEC) meeting on October 6 at the NLC FCT Secretariat.

The labour council said it rejected the FCTA’s response to its seven-day ultimatum, describing it as “neither clear, positive, nor genuine.”

According to the SEC, the response failed to address what it described as the root cause of teachers’ career stagnation — the vacancy requirement — and did not adequately address the issue of the redeployment of directors.

“The response of the FCTA is ambiguous and totally unacceptable,” the SEC declared.

The NLC said it would sustain the industrial action until its demands are satisfactorily addressed, accusing the FCT Administration of subjecting teachers to policies it considers inconsistent with the teaching profession.