Popular social media activist and humanitarian Martins Vincent Otse, alias VeryDarkMan, has called the attention of the government to the plight of school children in parts of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, who have been out of school for over 12 weeks following a prolonged strike by their teachers.
The strike, which began on March 24, 2025, stems from the failure of six Area Councils in the FCT to implement a previously agreed minimum wage of โฆ70,000 for primary school teachers. Instead, the teachers have continued to receive a meager โฆ30,000 monthly, despite a memorandum of understanding signed in December 2024.
The situation has left over 400 public primary schools across the FCT completely shut, affecting thousands of pupils many of whom come from vulnerable communities.
Verydarkman out of concern has however taken measures to drum the situation into the ears of the bodies concerned noting the ripple effect of the strike in the long run.
In his now viral video, he emphasized the devastating impact the prolonged school closures are having on education and the broader well-being of the children.
“Alright so these children have been out of school for about 9 weeks and the reason is simple, their teachers are on strike. Whoever is in charge of LEA. Whatever you are trying to do is not fair to these children. You had basic education that’s why you are in the current position you are holding. If these children do not have the current education that they need, they can’t function for us in the society. Instead we will raise bandits, terrorists and criminals in the society.
If they don’t have basic education, how will they survive other than stealing? What is the problem, the teachers of LEA decided to go on strike because as you all know the minimum wage was #30,000 and Tinubu said it has been increased to #70,000, meaning that they’re meant to pay everybody #70,000,” VeryDarkMan noted.
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