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NLC shuts down Abuja as it escalates support for indefinite FCTA workers’ strike.
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Joe Ajaero-led NLC accuses FCTA of wage abuse, pension diversion, and labour rights violations.
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Workers mobilised for court action, solidarity protests, and alliance with civil groups in Abuja.
Abuja was largely paralysed on Friday following the decision of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) to throw its full weight behind the indefinite strike embarked upon by workers of the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA).
In a statement signed by its President, Joe Ajaero, the NLC declared a total showdown with the FCTA, accusing its management and political leadership of persistent oppression, insensitivity, and gross abuse of workers’ rights.
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The Congress described the strike, coordinated by the Joint Unions Action Congress (JUAC), as a justified response to what it called sustained attacks on the welfare and dignity of workers.
According to the NLC, the FCTA has unlawfully withheld five months’ wage awards and promotion arrears, describing the action as a direct assault on workers’ livelihoods. It further alleged that pension contributions and National Housing Fund deductions had not been remitted since May 2025, a situation it labelled economic sabotage against both serving and retired staff.
The labour body warned that failure to remit pensions condemns workers to hardship in retirement, accusing the authorities of accumulating wealth at the expense of workers.
The NLC also accused the FCTA of employing intimidation tactics, including restricting phone usage at workplaces, harassing staff, and detaining union leaders, actions it described as authoritarian.
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In response, the Congress ordered an immediate escalation of the strike across the FCT, directing all affiliated unions to fully comply. It stressed that the dispute had now become a collective struggle for all workers in the territory.
The NLC further directed workers to mobilise en masse to the National Industrial Court on Monday, January 26, 2026, when issues relating to the dispute are expected to be heard, urging them to demonstrate unity through a massive but peaceful presence.
In an unusual directive, the Congress announced daily prayer and solidarity gatherings for workers across the FCT from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., describing them as moral and spiritual support for the ongoing struggle.
It also mandated labour unions to build alliances with civil society organisations, student bodies, and community groups, warning that the crisis had transcended labour concerns and evolved into a wider people-oriented movement.
As of press time, activities in several FCTA offices and public services remained grounded, raising concerns over the growing economic and administrative impact of the escalating labour action in the nation’s capital.
