Teachers in Abuja embark on strike over salary arrears

By LAWRENCE BAJAH, Abuja

Primary school teachers in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Abuja, have begun an indefinite strike action over non-payment of their outstanding entitlements by the Six Area Council chairmen.

The strike is coming on the heels of the elapsing of a five-day warning strike by the teachers.

The Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) had about a week ago met with the minister of FCT Malam Muhammad Bello on the need to resolve the arrears issue, but the minister’s efforts to stop them failed.

Though their secondary school counterparts under the authority of the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) resumed classes on Thursday.

Chairman NUT FCT wing, Stephen Knabayi, announced the strike on Wednesday night while fielding questions from newsmen at the end of the union’s emergency state wing executives Council (SWEC) meeting at Gwagwalada in Abuja.

He said the union decided to direct the primary school teachers to continue with the strike action due to a lack of commitment by the six area councils’ chairmen to pay promotion arrears and other entitlements of their members.

Knabayi explained that the union has examined the commitment and assurances of the FCT Administration to effect the payment of the secondary schools’ teachers in November and December, resolved to direct the secondary schools’ teachers to resume classes across the FCT today (Thursday), being November 25, 2021.

One of the primary school teachers at Giri Primary School, Isah Shugaba confirmed the strike, “yes, I didn’t go to school today because of the directive from our leaders. They ask us not to go, and truly we are waiting for our arrears,” he said. (Nigerian Tribune)