Workers in the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) on Thursday shunned the directive of the Joint Union Action Committee (JUAC) to continue its industrial action.
JUAC, in a statement signed by Comrade Abdullahi Umar Saleh, the union’s secretary, and issued to staff on Wednesday, directed workers to stay at home.
However, staff of the FCTA and the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA) were seen at their duty posts on Thursday, carrying out their official responsibilities and defying the directive in the process.
Visits to FCTA and FCDA offices showed that workers were present and actively carrying out their duties.
Some workers, who spoke to our reporter on the condition of anonymity, said they opted to resume work in obedience to the ruling of the court.
One of the FCTA workers said; “The court has said we should come to work and we have no option than to come to work. Also, this is the last week of the month of January and we are expecting salary to be paid. If we don’t come to work, how are we going to get our salary?”
Read Also: Court Orders FCT Workers To Suspend Strike
FCT Workers’ Strike: We Are Open To Dialogue: Wike
The JUAC directive that the strike should continue came a day after the National Industrial Court of Nigeria, sitting in Abuja on Tuesday, 27 January 2026, granted an interlocutory injunction filed by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, and the FCT Administration, compelling workers under the aegis of the union to suspend their ongoing strike.
Delivering the ruling on Tuesday, Justice E.D. Subilim held that although the matter before the court amounted to a trade dispute and had met the required legal conditions, the defendants’ right to embark on industrial action was not absolute.
The judge ruled that workers were prohibited from participating in a strike once a dispute had been referred to the National Industrial Court, adding that where such a strike was already ongoing, it must cease pending the determination of the case.
Recall that the Acting Head of the Civil Service of the FCT, Mrs Nancy Sabanti, had issued a circular directing all Secretariats, Departments and Agencies (SDAs) to open and strictly maintain staff attendance registers to ensure compliance with the court order.
The circular, dated 27 January 2026, instructed Permanent Secretaries and Heads of Departments, Parastatals and Agencies to enforce the immediate resumption of duties by workers, while reaffirming the administration’s commitment to staff welfare.