The Academic Staff Union of Secondary Schools (ASUSS), Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Chapter, and the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) said on Thursday that students were bearing the brunt of disputes between the FCT Administration and labour unions.
The groups raised the concern in Abuja while briefing journalists on the ongoing strike declared by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) on Wednesday.
The strike was declared over unresolved labour disputes and policy grievances affecting teachers in the territory.
They urged the labour unions to prioritise constructive dialogue over industrial action in the interest of students across the FCT, who they said were bearing the consequences of the strike.
The ASUSS Chairman in the FCT, Mr Julius Ogundiran, distanced secondary school teachers from the indefinite strike.
Ogundiran expressed concern that shutting down schools could stall teachers’ career advancement and disrupt students’ academic progress.
He said while ASUSS fully supported legitimate demands for teachers’ welfare, it disagreed with the decision to shut down schools.
Rather than escalating industrial tensions, Ogundiran advocated immediate and peaceful engagement among the NLC, NUT, FCT Administration, FCT Civil Service Commission and relevant government agencies to resolve the outstanding grievances.
“We encourage the authorities and labour organisations to resolve all legitimate grievances through constructive dialogue, without sacrificing the career progression of teachers or the academic interests of students,” he said.
The chairman clarified that ASUSS was an independent trade union affiliated with the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC) and was therefore not participating in the ongoing strike.
He reassured parents, students and the public that secondary school teachers across the territory would remain in their classrooms and continue with their instructional duties.
“ASUSS is not on strike. We have dissociated ourselves from the NUT strike action, and all secondary school teachers in the FCT are in their classrooms teaching,” he said.
He expressed concern that a major consequence of the strike could be the disruption of the ongoing 2026 Computer-Based Test (CBT) promotion examination.
Ogundiran advised FCT secondary school teachers to remain calm, continue their legitimate professional duties and prepare for the scheduled promotion examination.
Also speaking, the Secretary-General of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), Joint Campus Council, FCT Chapter, Mr Abdulkarim Muhammad, insisted that students should not bear the consequences of disputes between the government and labour.
“Every day away from the classroom costs learners valuable teaching time and places added pressure on families. We support teachers’ welfare and fair career progression.
“We urge the FCTA and labour leaders to suspend the strike, protect eligible teachers’ access to promotion examinations, and resolve outstanding issues through urgent, transparent dialogue.
“Workers’ grievances and students’ education must not be used for partisan purposes,” he said.
Muhammad called on all parties to put students first, protect classrooms, uphold teachers’ rights and safeguard the future of students in the FCT.
He also said the FCT Minister, Mr Nyesom Wike, needed support rather than what he described as political blackmail.
“FCT Minister Nyesom Wike needs support, not political blackmail,” he said.
