The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) on Thursday shut down the office of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, in a protest over the non-implementation of the N70,000 minimum wage for Area Council workers, including teachers and health personnel.
A large crowd of placard-wielding protesters marched from Labour House in Abuja’s Central Area to the Minister’s office at Area 11, chanting anti-government slogans and demanding urgent action from authorities.
Tensions flared when armed police officers manning the main gate of the Minister’s office locked the premises, preventing the demonstrators from entering. Undeterred, the workers, under the umbrella of organised labour, insisted that Minister Wike must personally address their grievances.
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The protesters vowed to paralyse official activities at the FCT Administration until their demands were met. “No retreat, no surrender!” many chanted as they blocked the movement of staff and visitors.
An attempt by Mandate Secretary Lawrence Garki to calm the situation failed, as the crowd rejected him with chants of “thief, thief,” refusing to accept any intermediary dialogue.
The NLC is also calling for the resignation or removal of the six Area Council Chairmen, accusing them of being insensitive and complicit in the continued hardship faced by the workers.
