… Enumerates Key Reforms
Under Administration
By Joyce Remi-Babayeju
The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, on Tuesday after the Court order on suspension of strike by FCTA workers disclosed that he has signed over 12 billion Naira January salaries of the workers amid strike.
Wike made this known on Tuesday when he addressed newsmen in his office immediately after the Industrial Court order to suspend the strike.
The minister stated that inspite of the ongoing strike a large amount of the workers legitimate demands had been met.
He explained that the administration had to seek legal intervention to avoid a. breakdown of order because the strike had been hijacked for political interest.
“I just signed January salaries amounting to over ₦12 billion,” Wike said.
“Yet the FCT is entitled to only one per cent of federal revenue. If the Federal Government earns ₦1 trillion, the FCT gets about ₦10 billion. That allocation alone cannot even cover salaries, not to talk of running the administration.”
According to him, the government had initially wanted dialogue and engagement when the strike began, and not to rush to court.
“When the strike started, we believed in dialogue. We felt the issues could be resolved through discussion. But when it became clear that politicians have hijacked the strike, we had no choice but to go to court and allow the law to decide,” the minister stated.
The minister noted that there is workers’ rights in a democracy, adding that strike action should always be a last resort.
“This is a democracy. Everyone has the right to protest. But if workers made 14 demands and government addressed like 10, there should be room for understanding and patience,” he said.
Speaking from his experience as a former governor and local government chairman, the minister said that he understood labour struggles but warned against asking for unrealistic demands.
“When demands are legitimate, government should acknowledge them. But it is not always possible to implement everything at once. Government does not deny legitimate entitlements, especially wages,” he added.
On claims that he was out of office during the strike, Wike dismissed such reports as false and politically motivated.
“I was in my office, went to the airport to see Mr President, travelled to Turkey, and returned. These stories are deliberate misinformation,” he said.
Referring to revenue challenges in the FCT, the minister revealed that the administration has significantly improved Internally Generated Revenue (IGR), has increased from about ₦9 billion when he assumed office to ₦30 billion.
“When we take steps to improve IGR, people complain. But that progress is what sustains salaries, reforms, and development,” he said.
Furthermore, the minister mentioned major reforms under the current administration, such as the creation of the FCT Civil Service Commission, appointment of permanent secretaries, and establishment of the Office of the Head of Service.
“Before now, workers retired at director level, but they can now rise to Permanent Secretary. This was made possible by the Government of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.”
“You cannot expect government to spend all available revenue on wages alone while neglecting massive infrastructure development,” Wike wondered.
Meanwhile, the minister had given stern warning to workers who may want to defy the court order suspending the strike.
He said, “Disobeying the law has consequences. From tomorrow, any worker who refuses to resume work will face disciplinary action. Anyone who attempts to block government facilities will face the full weight of the law.”
Claims that dialogue had broken down, is not true because engagement with unions has always been ongoing with my approval, he said.
The minister finally started that the administration will not succumb to any form of political games or blackmail.
“No amount of blackmail or political games will intimidate this administration. We will obey the court, and everyone else must do the same,” Wike reaffirmed.
Emd
Daybreak Abuja
Wike Discloses Approval of ₦12bn January Salaries for FCTA Workers Amid Strike
…Enumerates Key Reforms Under His Administration
By Joyce Remi-Babayeju
The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, on Tuesday disclosed that he has approved and signed over ₦12 billion for the payment of January salaries of FCT Administration (FCTA) workers, despite the ongoing strike action.
Wike made this known while addressing journalists in his office shortly after the National Industrial Court (NIC) ordered the suspension of the strike by FCTA workers.
The minister stated that, notwithstanding the industrial action, a substantial portion of the workers’ legitimate demands had already been met, explaining that the FCT Administration sought legal intervention to prevent a breakdown of law and order after the strike was allegedly hijacked for political purposes.
“I just signed January salaries amounting to over ₦12 billion,” Wike said.
“Yet the FCT is entitled to only one per cent of federal revenue. If the Federal Government earns ₦1 trillion, the FCT gets about ₦10 billion. That allocation alone cannot even cover salaries, not to talk of running the administration.”
According to him, the administration initially opted for dialogue and engagement when the strike began, rather than rushing to court.
“When the strike started, we believed in dialogue. We felt the issues could be resolved through discussion. But when it became clear that politicians had hijacked the strike, we had no choice but to go to court and allow the law to decide,” he stated.
The minister recognized workers’ rights in a democracy but stressed that strike action should always be a last resort.
“This is a democracy. Everyone has the right to protest. But if workers make 14 demands and government addresses about 10, there should be room for understanding and patience,” he said.
Drawing from his wealth of experience as a former governor and local government chairman, Wike said he understood labour struggles but warned against unrealistic demands.
“When demands are legitimate, government should acknowledge them. But it is not always possible to implement everything at once. Government does not deny legitimate entitlements, especially wages,” he added.
Responding to claims that he was absent during the strike, the minister dismissed the reports as false and politically motivated.
“I was in my office, went to the airport to see Mr President, travelled to Turkey, and returned. These stories are deliberate misinformation,” he said.
Speaking on revenue challenges, Wike revealed that the administration had significantly improved the FCT’s Internally Generated Revenue (IGR), increasing it from about ₦9 billion when he assumed office to ₦30 billion.
“When we take steps to improve IGR, people complain. But that progress is what sustains salaries, reforms, and development,” he noted.
He also enumerated major reforms under the current administration, including the creation of the FCT Civil Service Commission, the appointment of permanent secretaries, and the establishment of the Office of the Head of Service.
“Before now, workers retired at director level, but they can now rise to Permanent Secretary. This was made possible by the government of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu,” Wike said.
“You cannot expect government to spend all available revenue on wages alone while neglecting massive infrastructure development,” he added.
Meanwhile, the minister issued a stern warning to workers who may attempt to defy the court order suspending the strike.
“Disobeying the law has consequences. From tomorrow, any worker who refuses to resume work will face disciplinary action. Anyone who attempts to block government facilities will face the full weight of the law,” he warned.
He further dismissed claims that dialogue had broken down, insisting that engagement with labour unions had remained ongoing with his approval.
The minister concluded by stating that the administration would not succumb to political pressure or blackmail.
“No amount of blackmail or political games will intimidate this administration. We will obey the court, and everyone else must do the same,” Wike reaffirmed.
End
