The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Council, has commenced an indefinite strike over the alleged stagnation of teachers’ careers in the territory.
The NLC directed workers in the public and private sectors across the FCT to withdraw their services from Wednesday, October 7, 2026, following the expiration of a seven-day ultimatum issued to the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA).
The ultimatum, issued on September 8, 2026, demanded the resolution of long-standing welfare and career-related concerns affecting FCT teachers.
In a communique and press release signed by the NLC FCT Council Chairman, Comrade Knabayi S. Adalo, the union rejected the FCTA’s response to the ultimatum, describing it as “ambiguous, dismissive and totally unacceptable”.
At the centre of the dispute is the FCTA’s implementation of a “vacancy clause”, which makes teachers’ promotion subject to the availability of vacancies on the establishment.
The NLC argued that teachers were specifically recruited by the FCT Universal Basic Education Board (FCT UBEB) and the FCT Secondary Education Board (FCT SEB) to teach, distinguishing them from core civil servants or pool staff.
The union said applying vacancy-based promotion schemes meant for pool officers to teachers had resulted in career stagnation and demoralisation among educators.
Among its demands, the NLC is seeking the immediate abolition of the vacancy clause as a requirement for teachers’ promotion.
It also demanded that eligible 2025 candidates be allowed to sit for their promotion examinations alongside, or before, the 2026 candidates.
The union further called for the reversal of redeployment and demotion letters issued to directors who benefited from the Harmonised Retirement Age for Teachers Act, 2022.
It also demanded the dissolution and reconstitution of the management teams of FCT SEB and FCT UBEB.
The NLC directed public and private sector workers, including affiliate unions across schools, hospitals, offices and government establishments, to stay away from work from October 7 until its demands are addressed.
It said enforcement committees had been constituted to mobilise workers and monitor compliance across the territory.
“Teachers are not core civil servants nor pool staff and cannot be subjected to vacancy-based promotion meant for pool officers.
“The FCTA’s attempt to sustain industrial harmony without addressing injustice is mere wishful thinking.
“There can be no peace without justice,” Adalo said.
The NLC also appealed to parents, residents and civil society organisations in the FCT to support the industrial action, warning that failure to address the issues could lead to further disruption of the territory’s education sector.
