Teachers in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, have begun strike action due to the non-payment of the new minimum wage of N70,000 by the area’s councils.
The strike, which started just days before the completion of the first-term exams, led to primary school pupils being sent home on Monday instead of continuing their exams.
This is the latest in a series of strikes that have disrupted the education of primary school students in the FCT. The previous strike, which began on September 18, lasted three weeks before being called off on October 7.
Comrade Ameh Baba, Chairman of the Nigeria Teachers’ Union (NUT) in the Kubwa chapter of the FCT, explained that the strike was triggered by the continued failure of area council chairmen to pay teachers’ arrears. Baba noted that the December 1 deadline set by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) for states to comply with the N70,000 minimum wage had passed, leaving teachers with no choice but to continue their action.
While the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, has approved the new wage, with the November salary due as the first payment, Baba expressed disappointment that teachers under the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) had not benefited from the wage increase. Teachers in the FCT are also owed additional allowances, including a N40,000 peculiar allowance and a N35,000 wage award, with some arrears stretching back a year.
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