by Ola Williams,
The Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Council of the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, has declared an indefinite strike in Abuja over unresolved disputes involving the promotion and career progression of teachers.
The strike takes effect from Wednesday, October 7, 2026, after a seven-day ultimatum issued to the FCT Administration, FCTA, expired.
The NLC issued the ultimatum on September 8, 2026, demanding the resolution of long-standing welfare disputes affecting FCT teachers.
In a communique signed by the NLC FCT Council Chairman, Comrade Knabayi S. Adalo, the union rejected the FCTA’s response to the ultimatum, describing it as “ambiguous, dismissive and totally unacceptable.”
At the centre of the dispute is the FCTA’s implementation of a “vacancy clause,” which makes teacher promotions conditional on available vacancies.
The NLC argued that teachers are recruited specifically by the FCT Universal Basic Education Board, FCT UBEB, and the FCT Secondary Education Board, FCT SEB, to teach. This, it said, makes them distinct from core civil servants or pool staff.
The union insisted that vacancy-based promotion schemes apply to pool officers, noting that applying the practice to teachers had led to severe career stagnation and demoralisation among educators.
