Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Barr. Nyesom Wike, has berated the six Area Council Chairmen over their failure to pay primary school teachers, despite receiving N4.1 billion in wage support from the FCT Administration. The minister described the situation as a gross dereliction of duty and a shameful betrayal of public trust.
Speaking on Thursday after an inspection tour of major infrastructure projects in Abuja, Wike expressed outrage over the ongoing strike by primary school teachers and the protest by the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT). “I approved the release of funds to the Area Councils to pay teachers. Just yesterday, I got a report that they’ve not done so. I have summoned all the chairmen for an urgent meeting,” he said.
The minister condemned the council leaders’ inaction, questioning their conscience for neglecting those entrusted with educating children. “These are people who take care of our children, and you’re happy not paying them salaries? This is the problem with our system. When you apply the big stick, people cry foul,” he added, insisting that the councils, not the FCTA, are solely responsible for primary school teacher salaries.
Meanwhile, NUT Chairman, Comrade Mohammed Abdullah Shafa, accused the council chairmen of diverting the funds under the guise of ecological projects. During a protest at the FCTA Secretariat, Shafa said, “The Minister intervened and released N4.1 billion, but the chairmen ran away with the money. They’ve failed to honour multiple agreements since December 2024. That’s why we are here—to tell the Minister that his intervention was sabotaged.”
Shafa also emphasized that the unions were following directives from the national leadership of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) not to engage in closed-door meetings. “This is a struggle for justice. Let the officials come out and address the workers directly,” he said.
As the strike disrupts learning across primary schools in the FCT, Wike appealed to the NUT for more time, promising decisive action to hold the council chairmen accountable.
