Daniel Otera
Staff of the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) shut down the secretariat this week, protesting poor welfare conditions, irregular salaries, unpaid allowances, and a prolonged freeze on promotions.
The demonstration, led by the Joint Union Action Committee (JUAC), reflects deepening unrest within Nigeria’s public service and growing dissatisfaction with the administration of FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike.
For three consecutive days beginning Monday, 30th June 2025, protesting workers blocked the entrance of the FCTA secretariat in Abuja. They described the action as a response to “years of silence and inaction” that have crippled morale and made basic government operations difficult.
“There is no overhead since December. We go from office to office, borrowing paper just to work,” said JUAC President, Mrs Rifkatu Iortyer. “How can productivity be expected when workers buy their own pens and paper?”
According to internal documents, overhead funds meant for office operations and logistics have not been released since December 2024.
A review of the 2024 Federal Capital Territory (FCT) statutory budget shows that ₦421.44 billion representing 36.7% of the ₦1.147 trillion allocation was earmarked for recurrent expenditure. This includes overheads, salaries, and training. However, many departments report receiving no running costs since late 2024.
Meanwhile, capital spending has surged. In March 2025, Minister Wike presented a proposed ₦1.78 trillion budget, with ₦1.29 trillion (72.3%) earmarked for capital projects including road construction, flyovers, and beautification schemes.
“The capital side of the budget is to continue the transformation of the FCT into a modern city,” Wike said during the budget presentation.
But civil servants argue that transformation is meaningless if those running the system are neglected.
Since a 2023 backlog clearance exercise, there have been no fresh promotions in 2024 or 2025, workers say. This has stalled career progression and affected retirees who were eligible for higher ranks before leaving the service.
“Even those due for retirement have been denied rightful promotion. They are leaving the service unrecognised, stuck in the same cadre,” Iortyer said. “People retire as assistant directors when they should have risen to directors. That’s not just delay; that’s denial.”
Workers also complain of erratic salaries, with discrepancies from month to month and no explanations provided.
“I don’t even know what my salary is anymore. One month it’s this, another month it’s that. And nobody explains anything,” she added.
The crisis extends to Abuja’s low-wage contract workers, who maintain public hygiene and sanitation across the FCT. Despite not being part of the core civil service, they serve in key roles sweeping roads, managing cemeteries, and working in mortuaries.
The Abuja Environmental Protection Board (AEPB) claims all contractors have been paid, but union leaders insist many workers have not received wages since December 2024.
“They may not be career civil servants, but they are the ones sweeping the city, attending to corpses, working in cemeteries,” said Iortyer. “If FCTA doesn’t want casual workers, then absorb them officially. But you can’t hire people and refuse to pay them for six months.”
This discrepancy raises accountability questions over outsourced services and could trigger a public health crisis if left unresolved.
Protesters also spotlighted the FCT’s prolonged teachers’ strike. Primary school teachers have been on strike for over 100 days, leaving thousands of pupils out of school. Local government staff are also affected.
“Children are on the streets while those responsible look away,” said Audu Akogwu, Chairman of the Trade Union Congress (TUC), FCT chapter. “Even the health workers have not been paid hazard allowances. What exactly is the priority of the administration?”
A memo dated 10th March 2025, signed by the FCT Civil Service Commission Chairman, Emeka Ezeh, reportedly ordered the stoppage of salaries for auxiliary staff. Labour leaders have condemned the action as “callous”.
“In this economy, you stop people’s salaries without notice? That’s not policy; that’s punishment,” Iortyer remarked.
As of the time of this report, no senior FCTA official had addressed the protest. JUAC has demanded the immediate dismissal of the Civil Service Commission Chairman, accusing him of “authoritarian tendencies”.
Akogwu warned that if the government fails to act, a full shutdown of FCT operations is imminent.
“This is a warning,” he said. “From 3rd July, we will shut every FCT office. Workers are not machines. This must stop.”
The unrest mirrors a broader national crisis. Civil servants across Nigeria have voiced growing frustration over stagnant promotions, unpredictable salaries, and declining productivity.
In 2024, the House of Representatives launched a probe into the decade-long promotion freeze affecting federal employees, warning that “widespread dissatisfaction” was damaging public service efficiency.
Meanwhile, studies show that many workers rely on side jobs to survive. A 2024 academic study in Ekiti State found that over 60% of public employees cannot meet living expenses from salaries alone. Performance-based incentives remain absent in most MDAs.
A Ripples Nigeria editorial from July 2024 described the bureaucracy as “bloated and inefficient,” citing ghost workers and lack of accountability.
“Civil service is collapsing from within,” said governance analyst, Dr Maryam Lawal. “If you can’t train staff, pay their salaries, or promote them, why expect results?”
The FCT protest is not just about salaries, it is a reflection of deeper failures in administrative governance. For Wike, the real legacy may not lie in roads and bridges, but in how his administration responds to those who keep the system running.
Without meaningful reform, dialogue, and transparency, Abuja may soon become a model not of progress but of civil service dysfunction.