The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) is set for an indefinite industrial action as the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) directs workers across the territory to withdraw their services over unresolved grievances involving teachers.
The NLC FCT Council announced the strike after its leadership rejected the response of the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) to demands concerning teachers’ promotion, career progression and the redeployment of senior education officials.
The industrial action begins Wednesday, October 7, 2026, with the labour body directing its affiliate unions to mobilise workers for total compliance.
The dispute centres largely on the use of a vacancy requirement as a condition for the promotion of FCT teachers. The NLC argues that teachers, who are field workers and not pool officers, should not be subjected to the same vacancy-based promotion system applicable to certain categories of civil servants.
The labour body also wants teachers who were eligible for promotion in 2025 but could not participate in the examination to be allowed to sit for the exercise alongside the 2026 candidates.
Another major point of contention is the redeployment of directors of educational agencies to classroom duties. The NLC is demanding that the affected officials be restored to their previous positions.
The congress has also called for changes in the management of the FCT State Education Board and the FCT Universal Basic Education Board as part of efforts to resolve the wider dispute.
According to the labour body, repeated engagements with the FCTA failed to produce a satisfactory resolution. It consequently described the administration’s response to its demands as unacceptable.
The NLC maintained that the vacancy requirement had contributed to career stagnation among teachers, arguing that workers who meet the necessary conditions for advancement should not be denied promotion simply because a vacant position is unavailable.
The dispute had earlier escalated when FCT teachers protested against the vacancy criterion and disrupted a promotion examination involving workers under the FCT Administration.
The labour body has now directed workers in both the public and private sectors to stay away from their duty posts until further notice.
It also warned against victimisation of workers who participate in the industrial action.
The strike is expected to affect schools, government offices, hospitals and other public establishments across the FCT if the directive is fully enforced.
The NLC has appealed to parents, civil society groups and other stakeholders to pressure the FCTA to resolve the dispute, warning that the prolonged disagreement could further disrupt the education sector.
The congress insisted that the strike would remain in force until its demands are addressed.
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