Daniel Otera
After 107 days of industrial action, primary school teachers in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) have suspended their indefinite strike following a ₦16 billion intervention brokered by FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike.
A communique issued by the Abuja chapter of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) confirmed the suspension. The document, jointly signed by the union’s Chairman, Abdullahi Shafas; Secretary, Margaret Jethro; and Publicity Secretary, Ibukun Adekeye, directed all primary school teachers across the six Area Councils to resume academic activities on Wednesday, 9 July.
Teachers had downed tools on 24 March, citing the non-payment of the minimum wage and other longstanding welfare issues. The NUT stated that years of failed negotiations and poor funding from the Area Councils forced their members to embark on the strike.
Primary education in Abuja is the constitutional responsibility of the six Area Councils Abaji, Bwari, Gwagwalada, Kuje, Kwali, and Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC). But the financial burden of implementing the 2019 minimum wage law soon overwhelmed the councils, leading to accumulated arrears for over nine months.
Despite several letters, protests, and meetings initiated by the union, the impasse remained unresolved until mounting public pressure triggered the intervention of Minister Wike.
A high-level stakeholder meeting was convened on 3 July, bringing together officials from the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA), chairpersons of the Area Councils, representatives of the House Committees on FCT and Area Councils, the Head of Service, and NUT executives.
Following intense deliberations, the minister admitted to the financial limitations of the councils and proposed an immediate bailout.
“The payment of FCT primary school teachers, as explained by the minister, is the responsibility of the Area Councils,” the NUT stated. “The minister, however, emphasised the inadequacy of the councils’ allocation to cater for the payment.”
To bridge the deficit, the minister authorised the release of 10 per cent of the councils’ accrued Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) over six months totalling ₦16 billion. The funds were earmarked to pay the June minimum wage and 60 per cent of the teachers’ nine-month arrears.
A Special Committee was also established to harmonise all outstanding entitlements and recommend a permanent funding solution. The committee was given two weeks to complete its work.
Following the proposal, the union’s State Wing Executive Council (SWEC) held an emergency session on 4 July to assess the implementation.
“Consequent upon the implementation of the minimum wage and payment of five months arrears into the teachers’ accounts on July 8, the SWEC hereby suspends the ongoing strike,” the union declared.
Teachers were instructed to resume work immediately, while the union pledged to continue advocacy to ensure the remaining arrears are fully paid.
According to the Federal Capital Territory Universal Basic Education Board (FCT-UBEB), more than 215,000 pupils are enrolled in over 550 public primary schools across Abuja. The 15-week strike, one of the longest in the territory’s history, halted classroom instruction and disrupted learning outcomes, especially in rural communities.
Maryam Adaji, a parent in Kwali Area Council, told The Journal via phone: “For months, our children were at home doing nothing. It was mentally exhausting. I had to hire a lesson teacher just so they wouldn’t forget their ABCs.”
Another parent, Haruna Bala, from Gwagwalada, added: “I was forced to withdraw my son from public school in May. The delay was too long and we lost hope. But I’m happy others can now return. The government must not allow this to happen again.”
The Journal Nigeria can report that during the strike, many parents resorted to enrolling their children in unregistered private schools, fearing academic stagnation. Others abandoned formal schooling altogether, further aggravating out-of-school rates.
The Abuja strike reflects a wider national challenge in basic education financing. Despite the presence of the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) intervention fund which provides matching grants to states and the FCT several sub-national governments consistently fail to access the funds due to their inability or refusal to provide the required counterpart funding.
Between 2020 and 2023, the FCT was among 26 states and territories that missed out on a combined ₦45.7 billion in UBEC matching grants, according to a 2023 report by BudgIT and later confirmed by UBEC itself.
As of December 2023, the total unaccessed UBEC fund across Nigeria had risen to ₦68.7 billion, a situation education experts have condemned as a “gross display of political negligence”.
UBEC Executive Secretary, Dr Hamid Bobboyi, expressed concern over the situation:
“States and the FCT must show commitment to basic education. The federal government is doing its part by making these funds available, but without counterpart funding, we cannot intervene.”
The structure of education funding in the FCT has also drawn criticism. While local governments are tasked with teacher remuneration, their limited IGR base and fluctuating federal allocations have made it difficult to meet obligations.
Analysts argue that unless Abuja reforms its education financing model, industrial actions may become a recurring feature, with school children paying the heaviest price.