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FCT workers’ strike continues as unions ignore court order to suspend industrial action
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Wike-led FCTA insists strike leaders have resumed, blames misinformation among workers
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Schools, health facilities shut across parts of Abuja as unions press welfare demands
Striking workers in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) have continued their industrial action despite a court order directing them to suspend the strike, escalating tensions between labour unions and the Nyesom Wike-led FCT Administration (FCTA).
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The workers, operating under the Joint Union Action Committee (JUAC), commenced an indefinite strike on January 19, 2026, over unresolved welfare issues affecting staff morale and productivity within the FCTA and the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA).
The strike gained momentum on Monday after the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) and the Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) joined in solidarity with the striking FCTA workers.
Among the key demands are the payment of five months’ wage awards, outstanding 2023 and 2024 promotion arrears, full settlement of 13 months’ hazard allowance and 22 months’ rural allowance for health workers, as well as the remittance of pension and National Housing Fund deductions. The unions are also demanding an end to worker intimidation and improved welfare and working conditions.
On Tuesday, the National Industrial Court, Abuja, ordered the striking workers to suspend the industrial action pending further hearing of a suit filed by the FCT authorities. The ruling, delivered by Justice Emmanuel Subilim, followed an application by FCT Minister Nyesom Wike and the FCTA seeking to halt the strike.
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Court documents dated January 27, 2026, listed Wike and the FCTA as claimants, with union leaders Rifkatu Iortyer and Abdullahi Umar Saleh named as defendants.
However, checks on Wednesday showed that compliance with the court order remains patchy. Several schools and healthcare facilities across the Bwari Area Council were still shut, forcing students in schools such as Government Day Secondary School, Dutse Alhaji, Junior Secondary School, Ushafa, and LEA Primary School, Ushafa to return home early.
An official of LEA Primary School, Ushafa, who spoke anonymously, said there was no formal directive indicating that the strike had been suspended. He added that the court order appeared to apply only to union leaders and not rank-and-file workers.
Reacting, Lere Olayinka, Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication and New Media to the FCT Minister, said the strike had effectively been suspended by those who declared it.
According to him, “Those who declared the strike have resumed. If some workers are yet to resume, it may be due to misinformation. They should be back at work shortly.”
The standoff continues as unions insist their welfare concerns remain unresolved, keeping public services in parts of the FCT largely paralysed.