Primary school teachers and local government employees from the Federal Capital Territory’s (FCT) six Area Councils protested peacefully in Abuja on Thursday, protesting the ongoing nonpayment of their rights and the recently agreed minimum wage.
Together with the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) and the Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE), the protesters marched through the streets to voice their displeasure with the Area Council Chairmen’s unwillingness to enact the ₦70,000 minimum salary and other associated benefits.
The long-awaited demonstration, which was first scheduled for Wednesday, was widely attended by council and education staff from all six Area Councils.
The unions voiced their displeasure at what they called unfair treatment in comparison to their immediate FCT Administration coworkers, who are already reaping the benefits of the new wage structure.
The nonviolent demonstration was a purposeful attempt to draw national attention to the ongoing disregard for their rights, Comrade Sa’ad Abdulmumin, the FCT Secretary of NULGE, told reporters in Gwagwalada on Monday.
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Abdulmumin emphasized that the six council chairmen had not complied with the FCT Minister Nyesom Wike’s approval and disbursement of ₦4.1 billion, which was particularly allocated for the implementation of the new minimum wage.
In addition to the minimum wage, he noted that the council leaders had not implemented the CONHESS/CONMESS compensation structures’ 35% adjustment, 40% unique allowance, 25–35% salary adjustments, or ₦30,000 wage award.
Additionally, the employees’ Pension Fund Administrators (PFA) have not received any pension deductions.
Abdulmumin bemoaned the lack of readiness on the part of the Area Council Chairmen to address the issues, citing multiple industrial actions by the impacted personnel. He described their position as “adamant, unmoved, and insensitive” to the wellbeing of the teachers and staff.
