The Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) has announced plans to shut down the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) in protest over months of unpaid wages, allowances, and other unresolved entitlements owed to area council workers.
The planned protest will commence after President Bola Tinubu concludes his July 3 inauguration of projects marking his second year in office.
Chairman of the NLC FCT chapter, Dr. Stephen Knabayi, disclosed this during an interview on Thursday in Abuja, as reported by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).
“We are mobilising to shut down the FCT after the President completes his scheduled project inaugurations,” Knabayi said.
“The move is to draw attention to the unresolved strike by area council workers and longstanding issues including salary increases and other benefits.”
Core Demands
The union is demanding the:
- Full implementation of the national minimum wage
- Payment of the 40% peculiar allowance
- Immediate settlement of the N35,000 wage award
- Implementation of the 25% and 35% salary increments
Knabayi also revealed that the N70,000 minimum wage, which was briefly paid in May, was suspended without explanation in June.
Timeline of Events
The NLC had earlier issued a seven-day ultimatum to the FCT Administration on June 13, which expired on June 20. However, the union deferred action out of respect for President Tinubu’s project commissioning events.
With no progress made, Knabayi confirmed that mobilisation for a shutdown will begin immediately after July 3.
Political Distraction and Wike’s Role
The NLC accused area council chairmen of prioritising preparations for the 2026 area council elections over workers’ welfare. Knabayi argued that the funds being spent on electioneering could resolve the outstanding wage issues.
He also called on FCT Minister Nyesom Wike to pressure the area councils to act. Wike had previously intervened by releasing N4.1 billion to the councils to support wage payments. However, he clarified that primary school and healthcare workers fall under the councils’ jurisdiction—not the FCT Administration.
In April, Abdullahi Shafa, chairman of the FCT chapter of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), acknowledged Wike’s support but insisted that the strike would continue until all demands were met.
The NLC has notified both the FCT Administration and security agencies of its intention to proceed with the protest, describing it as a last resort.
