By Sarah NEGEDU
As the Federal Capital Territory Administration pushes back against the indefinite strike that has crippled operations in the FCTA, authorities insist that only four of the 14 demands by workers are yet to be met.
Workers of the FCTA and the Federal Capital Development Authority, FCDA, had on Monday shut down the Secretariat, barricading the main gates and grounding government activities after talks with management collapsed.
The staff under the aegis of the Joint Union Action Congress, JUAC, had in a circular jointly signed by its President, Comrade Rifkatu Iortyer, and Secretary, Comrade Abdullah Saleh, on 5th January, listed series of demands including the full implementation of the new minimum wage, payment of outstanding allowances, promotion arrears, and other welfare issues.
Negotiations between government and the workers union however ended in deadlock. JUAC in a circular Sunday evening, directed all staff to remain at home in total compliance with the strike.
But the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, is insisting that the strike is unjustified, arguing that government has already met the bulk of the workers’ demands and is addressing the remaining.
Wike, in a statement signed by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications and Social Media, Lere Olayinka, the Minister said “10 out of the 14 demands of the workers that are on strike have been met, adding that other demands are being looked into with a view to addressing them.”
According to the statement, top officials of the FCTA held multiple meetings with JUAC leaders, including sessions on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, where interventions made by the minister were openly presented.
Olayinka noted that “at no point did the minister express unwillingness to address any of the demands,” stressing that appeals were made to union leaders to allow dialogue to continue since the unresolved issues were not severe enough to warrant a strike.
The administration listed several interventions already carried out, including the commencement of payment of outstanding Wage Award arrears. “One of the demands made was non-payment of outstanding five months Wage Award, payment of which has commenced,” the statement added.
It also disclosed that the longstanding welfare claims of health workers had been fully cleared. “The outstanding 13 months Hazard Allowance and 22 months Rural Allowance for Health Workers have been fully paid by the administration,” the statement said.
On promotion arrears, Olayinka explained that the minister had approved payments for affected staff late last year. “The outstanding arrears in the sum of N286,166,772.46, covering 724 Officers across 24 SDAs, was approved by the Minister in December 2025 and being processed for payment to the beneficiaries,” he stated.
He further clarified that the controversial extension of tenure for retired Directors and Permanent Secretaries has been resolved, with the ninister assuring strict compliance with the Public Service Rules.
On the issue of training and retraining, the statement said “all SDAs have been directed to forward general and specialized training needs to the Permanent Secretary, Common Services, for onward submission to the Office of the Head of Service for further necessary action.”
The FCTA also distanced the minister and management from the non-remittance of National Housing Fund deductions and pension contributions, insisting the fault originated from internal staff-managed systems. According to the statement, a committee headed by workers has been set up to investigate and resolve all deductions and remittances.
Regarding the disputed promotion examinations, Olayinka said “the figures and percentage presented by JUAC had no official backing and they were therefore advised to await the formal release of the results of the promotion examinations as directed by the Minister.”
The administration added that the issue of overstayed overseeing Directors has been addressed through the 2023 promotion exercise, while the release of the 2024 promotion list is expected to conclusively resolve the matter.
Declaring the strike unnecessary, the statement maintained that the FCT Minister has demonstrated consistent commitment to workers’ welfare. “From all indications therefore, and considering all the efforts already made by the Minister in acceding to almost all the demands as well as explanations by the FCTA management staff in the meetings held, the strike action embarked on by JUAC is unnecessary, ill-motivated and obviously aimed at achieving purposes other than welfare of the workers.”
The FCTA also directed security agencies to ensure unhindered access for staff who dissociated themselves from the industrial action. “Workers who have opted not to be part of the strike have access to their offices so as to carry out their lawful duties unhindered,” Olayinka said.
The standoff is expected to continue Tuesday as JUAC maintains its shutdown directive while the administration insists the strike is unjustified.
