By Sarah NEGEDU
Area Council Chairmen in the Federal Capital Territory have been slammed over their failure to pay the salaries of primary school teachers, despite the release of funds approved for that purpose.
Speaking with reporters shortly after an inspection tour of ongoing projects in the city on Thursday, the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, expressed outrage over the ongoing protest by members of the Nigeria Union of Teachers, NUT, who had earlier stormed the FCTA Secretariat demanding payment of outstanding wages.
Primary school teachers and Area Council Workers under the joint unions of the Nigeria Union of Teachers, NUT, and Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees, NULGE, staged a peaceful protest in the streets of Abuja, on Thursday over non-payment of their minimum wage and other entitlements by the six area councils chairmen of the FCT.
The industrial action has disrupted learning across primary schools in the territory as well as ground activities in primary health centres across the territory.
Reacting to the protest, the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, expressed frustration over the council leaders’ conduct.
The visibly angered minister condemned what he described as a lack of conscience among the local government leaders, stressing that the welfare of teachers should never be neglected.
“It’s unfortunate, but we have to tell ourselves the simple truth. The Area Council Chairmen, after I have approved money to be sent to them for them to be able to pay the teacher. They were unable to do that. In fact, I got the report yesterday, and I’m able to summon all of them.”
The Minister condemned the Chairmen for neglecting their responsibility, stating that such insensitivity towards teachers is unacceptable.
“You see, that’s the problem we have in this country. By the time you apply the big stick now, people will be saying all kinds of things. I don’t know why people don’t have conscience that these are teachers who take care of our children, and you are happy that you are not paying them their salaries.”
He emphasized that the affected teachers were at the primary school level, and therefore, under the direct responsibility of the Area Councils.
“These are primary school teachers, not secondary school teachers. You know the responsibility of the councils, they are in charge of the primary schools. So, I’ll summon them to a meeting.”
Wike appealed to the NUT for patience, promising that the issue would be addressed.
“I also continue to appeal to the NUT to give some time, that these things will be sorted out.”
Earlier, the Chairman of the Nigeria Union of Teachers, Comrade Mohammed Shafa, who led a joint protest to the office of the FCT Minister to press home their demands accused the six Area Council Chairmen of diverting the N4.1 billion released by the minister for the implementation of the N70,000 minimum wage.
Shafa said the chairmen has consistently failed to honour agreements reached with the union, despite multiple timelines and interventions.
According to him, the union began its push for implementation in December 2024, and after several meetings, the chairmen had promised to commence payment in January 2025.
“They didn’t. Then they said February. Again, nothing happened. After that, we approached the Honourable Minister, who intervened and released N4.1 billion. Unfortunately, the chairmen ran away with the money, claiming it was meant for projects and ecological intervention. Those are lies,” Shafa lamented.
He stressed that the peaceful protest was not just to express workers’ frustration, but to formally notify the minister that his intervention had been sabotaged by the Area Council leaders.
“The help the minister gave to FCT teachers and council workers has not been implemented. That’s why we are here,” Shafa said, noting that despite other challenges, the wage issue remains the union’s top priority.
Shafa added that NUT and NULGE members were acting under directives from the national leadership of the Nigeria Labour Congress not to hold any closed-door meetings.
“We told them to come out and speak directly to the workers at the gate not behind closed doors. This is a struggle for justice,” he concluded.
