Abuja: NLC suspends strike

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Council, has suspended its indefinite strike over unresolved labour disputes involving teachers and education officers, directing affected workers to resume duty on Wednesday, October 21, 2026.

The decision followed negotiations involving the NLC, the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) and the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment. Blueprint reports

The FCT NLC chairman, Comrade Knabayi Adalo, announced the suspension in a communiqué issued in Abuja on Tuesday after an emergency meeting of the council’s State Executive Council.

The strike, which began on October 7, disrupted activities in public schools across the territory as the unions pressed the FCTA to address outstanding concerns over teachers’ promotion, career progression and the redeployment of school directors.

Agreement reached on promotion vacancies

As part of the resolutions reached, the parties agreed that vacancies for the promotion of education officers would be aligned with established positions declared by the FCT Education Secretariat.

The council also noted that the anticipated retirement of some directorate officers would create opportunities for eligible education officers to advance in their careers.

The development is expected to address concerns among teachers and education officers who have complained about restrictions affecting their promotion prospects.

The NLC had argued that tying promotions strictly to available vacancies could impede the career progression of eligible personnel and undermine their morale.

The union maintained that outstanding promotion issues required urgent attention to ensure fairness and prevent prolonged stagnation within the education sector.

New date for 2025 promotion examination

On the 2025 promotion examination, the NLC said a new date would be announced following approval by the FCT Executive Council and subsequent communication to the FCT Civil Service Commission.

The examination had been among the issues raised by the union during its engagement with the FCTA, with concerns over the delay and the need to provide eligible education officers with an opportunity to progress professionally.

The latest resolution is expected to provide a pathway for the examination to be rescheduled, although its actual date will depend on the necessary approvals and official communication by the relevant authorities.

Redeployment of school directors suspended

The parties also addressed the controversy surrounding the redeployment of directors benefiting from the Harmonised Retirement Age for Teachers Act, 2022.

According to the communiqué, the redeployment process would remain suspended until further notice, in line with the FCT Executive Council’s directive.

The issue had generated disagreement between the unions and the FCTA, with the NLC demanding a review of decisions affecting the officers.

The union’s position was that the affected directors should be treated in accordance with the applicable policy and existing government directives.

The agreement to maintain the suspension is one of the key outcomes of the negotiations that paved the way for the resumption of work.

How the strike began

The NLC commenced the indefinite strike on October 7 after the expiration of a seven-day ultimatum issued to the FCTA over unresolved labour concerns.

The industrial action affected public schools across the FCT as teachers and other education personnel stayed away from their duties in support of the union’s demands.

The dispute centred on promotion arrangements, the scheduling of the 2025 promotion examination and the redeployment of certain school directors.

The union insisted that the outstanding issues required a satisfactory resolution before normal activities could resume, prompting further engagement between labour representatives and government officials.

The strike also highlighted tensions over the administration of education personnel in the FCT and the need for clearer implementation of policies affecting teachers’ welfare and career advancement.

NLC establishes monitoring mechanism

To ensure that the agreements are implemented, the NLC said it would establish a monitoring committee to track compliance by the relevant authorities within the stipulated timelines.

The committee is expected to monitor progress on the resolutions and help prevent a recurrence of the disputes that led to the industrial action.

Adalo warned that failure by the FCTA or other responsible authorities to honour the agreements would trigger an automatic resumption of the strike without further notice.

The council also assured workers who participated in the industrial action that they would not face victimisation, penalties or reprisals for joining the strike.

It expressed appreciation to the FCTA, the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment, the NUT FCT Wing, affiliate unions and workers for their roles in the negotiations.

Workers to return Wednesday

With the suspension of the strike, affected workers, particularly teachers in public primary and secondary schools, are expected to return to their duty posts on Wednesday, October 21.

The NLC said its position would depend on the implementation of the resolutions, signalling that the suspension does not amount to an abandonment of the workers’ demands.

The immediate priority is to restore normal academic activities across public schools while the union monitors compliance with the agreements.

The outcome of the process will depend on whether the FCTA and the relevant agencies fulfil their commitments within the agreed timelines.