By Ayodele Oni
Workers of the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) on Monday shut down all offices as they commenced an indefinite strike declared by their umbrella union, the Joint Union Action Congress (JUAC).
The Union said the industrial action which took effect from Monday, January 19, 2026, was necessitated by unresolved welfare issues and the alleged failure of the authorities to address long-standing demands.
In a statement dated January 8 and jointly signed by the JUAC President, Rifkatu Iortyer, and the Secretary, Abdullahi Saleh, the union said an earlier ultimatum issued on January 7 expired without any meaningful engagement from the management.
According to JUAC, the grievances include the non-payment of outstanding promotion arrears, delays in the conduct and release of promotion exercises, and the continued extension of service for retired directors and permanent secretaries.
The union argued that the practice was stalling career progression for serving officers.
JUAC also accused the administration of failing to remit statutory deductions, including pension contributions and National Housing Fund payments, warning that the lapses could jeopardise the future welfare of affected staff.
The union further expressed dissatisfaction with the outcome of the 2024 promotion examinations, describing the exercise as largely unsuccessful and alleging that a significant number of its members were unfairly affected.
Reacting to the workers strike, FCTA explained that 10 out the 14 demands of the workers have been met, adding that other demands are being looked into with a view to addressing them.
Senior Special Assistant to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), on Public Communications and Social Media, Lere Olayinka, who made this known in a statement on Monday, said top officials of the FCTA have held several meetings with union leaders, including on Saturday and Sunday.
Olayinka also said that there are workers under various unions such as the Law Officers Association of Nigeria that have dissociated themselves from the strike action, and these workers deserve the rights to be allowed access to their offices to perform their duties.
“The Association of Resident Doctors, Federal Capital Territory (ARD-FCTA), even wrote to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, appreciating him for his exemplary leadership and commitment to the welfare of healthcare workers, as demonstrated by the payment of the longstanding 13 months hazard allowance arrears as well as the payment of one month wage award.”
He added that in one of the meetings held with Joint Union Action Committee (JUAC) leaders on Friday, January 16, the demands, as well as the interventions of the FCT Minister were laid bare, and at no point did the Minister expressed unwillingness to address any of the demands.
“Appeal was made to JUAC Officials that other pending issues were not severe enough to warrant the declaration of strike action, and that dialogue should be adopted in resolving all other issues affecting staff welfare in the FCTA.”
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