Primary school teachers across the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) have officially suspended their over three-month strike, following the the partial payment of their outstanding entitlements.
The decision to return to classrooms was disclosed by the FCT Wing of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) in a communique released in Abuja on Tuesday, July 8, 2025.
The strike, which began on March 24, 2025, was a protest over unpaid minimum wage arrears and other unresolved welfare concerns. The teachers are to resume today, July 9.
Wike releases N16 billion payment
Despite not being directly responsible for the payment of primary school teachers’ salaries, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, played a crucial role in resolving the prolonged strike-through active mediation and stakeholder engagement.
According to the NUT leadership, Mr. Wike convened a high-level meeting on July 3 involving stakeholders such as the House Committee on FCT, the House Committee on FCT Area Councils and Ancillary Matters, the FCT Head of Service, FCT Permanent Secretary (Treasury), and executives of the NUT.
Although the minister clarified that the responsibility for primary school teachers’ salaries rests with the six Area Councils, he acknowledged their inability to meet payment obligations due to inadequate financial allocations.
To address the crisis, he approved the release of 10% of the councils’ six-month Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) a total of N16 billion to augment the teachers’ payments. The intervention also included:
- The immediate payment of the June 2025 minimum wage and five months of arrears, which teachers received on July 8.
- The constitution of a Special Committee tasked with harmonising the full backlog of arrears and proposing a permanent funding strategy within two weeks.
Teachers resume duties across FCT
In response to the Minister’s effort and actual disbursement of funds, the State Wing Executive Council (SWEC) of the union held an emergency session on July 4 to deliberate on the offers. After what the union described as exhaustive deliberations, they resolved to suspend the strike upon receipt of the funds and partial arrears payment.
The communique, signed by NUT Chairman Abdullahi Shafas, Secretary Margaret Jethro, and Publicity Secretary Ibukun Adekeye, stated that teachers are to return to the classroom from Wednesday, July 9, 2025.
They further affirmed the union’s commitment to pursuing the balance of the outstanding entitlements, while acknowledging Mr. Wike’s positive disposition and commitment to improving teachers’ welfare.
What you should know
The Federal Capital Territory (FCT), public primary school teachers initiated an industrial protest on March 24, 2025, over deep concerns regarding the non-implementation of the N70,000 national minimum wage, outstanding arrears, allowances, and promotion delays. These demands reflected a simmering frustration among educators, who believed that while secondary school teachers were benefitting from wage reforms, their primary colleagues were being sidelined
Before the release of the N16 billion intervention fund that resolved the FCT primary school teachers’ strike, the FCT Minister had earlier approved a N4.1 billion disbursement to the six Area Councils. This fund was specifically earmarked to cover the payment of the new minimum wage and its arrears to council workers, including teachers.
Wike urged the Area Councils to ensure the funds were used promptly and transparently to settle the wage obligations of their staff.
