The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Council, has declared an indefinite strike across Abuja over unresolved disputes surrounding the promotion of teachers in the nation’s capital.
Key Highlights
- NLC FCT declares indefinite strike effective Wednesday, October 7, 2026.
- The strike follows the expiration of a seven-day ultimatum issued to the FCT Administration.
- The union wants the vacancy requirement for teachers’ promotion removed.
- Teachers due for promotion in 2025 are also demanding access to the promotion examination.
- NLC is protesting the redeployment and demotion of directors covered by the Harmonized Retirement Age for Teachers Act, 2022.
The industrial action, which takes effect on Wednesday, October 7, 2026, is expected to affect schools, government offices, hospitals and other public establishments across the Federal Capital Territory.
The NLC FCT Council announced the strike in a statement signed by its Chairman, Comrade Knabayi S. Adalo, directing workers in both the public and private sectors to withdraw their services until further notice.
The action followed the expiration of a seven-day ultimatum issued to the FCT Administration over what the union described as unresolved labour issues affecting teachers.
The union said its State Executive Council reviewed the response of the FCT Administration at its meeting on October 6 but rejected it as “ambiguous and totally unacceptable.”
Why NLC Declared the FCT Strike
At the centre of the dispute is the NLC’s demand that the FCT Administration remove the vacancy requirement attached to the promotion of teachers.
The labour union is also demanding that teachers who were due for promotion in 2025 be allowed to sit for the promotion examination.
Another key demand is the withdrawal of redeployment and demotion letters issued to directors who are beneficiaries of the Harmonized Retirement Age for Teachers Act, 2022.
According to the NLC, the FCT Administration’s response failed to address what it considers the fundamental issue of subjecting teachers’ promotion to the availability of vacancies.
The union argued that teachers should not be subjected to a vacancy-based promotion system because they were recruited specifically to teach by the FCT Universal Basic Education Board and the FCT Secondary Education Board.
“Teachers are neither core civil servants nor pool staff and cannot be subjected to vacancy-based promotion schemes meant for pool officers,” the NLC said.
Teachers’ Promotion Dispute
The NLC said the unresolved promotion dispute had resulted in career stagnation and demoralisation among teachers in the FCT.
The union maintained that the promotion process should recognise teachers’ career progression without making advancement dependent on the availability of vacant positions.
The vacancy condition has been a recurring flashpoint in the territory: in April, the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) also led FCT teachers on an indefinite strike partly over the same requirement.
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NLC Orders Mobilisation Across FCT
Following the declaration, the NLC FCT Council directed its affiliate unions to immediately mobilise their members for the industrial action and establish enforcement committees across the territory.
The council also warned that workers participating in the strike would not be victimised.
The union appealed to parents, civil society organisations and other stakeholders to intervene and prevail on the FCT Administration to resolve the outstanding issues.
The NLC warned that the continued dispute could further disrupt the education sector if the issues are not urgently addressed.
The labour centre had on September 8 issued a seven-day ultimatum to the FCT Administration over the teachers’ promotion controversy and other demands.
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