By Ayodele Oni
The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Mr Nyesom Wike, has waded into the industrial dispute by primary school teachers in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), over non implementation of the new Minimum wage and other Entitlements.
The Minister has summoned a meeting with the chairmen of FCT area councils and leadership of the Nigerian Union of Teachers (NUT), FCT Wing.
The meeting was to find lasting solutions to the lingering primary school teachers’ strike over unresolved welfare concerns.
Wike spoke in Abuja on Thursday, after inspecting ongoing projects in preparation for celebration of the second anniversary of President Bola Tinubu.
Responding to the protest by the teachers, the minister, who described the development as very unfortunate, wondered why the chairmen of the FCT area councils did not have conscience.
He said that the area council chairmen refused to pay the teachers their entitlements, in spite of receiving approved funds specifically for that purpose.
“They were unable to pay them. In fact, I got the report yesterday and have summoned all of them for a meeting.
“You see, that’s the problem we have in this country; by the time I apply the big stick, people will be saying all kinds of things.
“I don’t know why people don’t have conscience that these are teachers who take care of our children, and you are happy that you are not paying them their salaries.”
Wike explained that primary schools were under the purview of the area councils and not FCT administration, adding that the area councils were in charge of primary schools.
He appealed to the NUT to give him some time, assuring that the issues would be sorted out soon.
Earlier, the NUT Chairman, Mr Abdullahi Shafa, who led the protest, acknowledged Wike’s intervention to resolve the lingering strike, including the release of N4.1 billion to the area councils to pay the striking teachers.
He accused the area council chairmen of diverting the funds and called on the National Assembly and the Economic and Financial Crime Commission to intervene and called them to order.
Primary school teachers had embarked on a series of strikes over non-payment of minimum wage and 40 per cent Peculiar Allowance.
Other unresolved issues included the non-implementation of 25 per cent and 35 per cent salary increases, and the N35,000 wage award, among other benefits.
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