Strike: 5,900 FCTA education officers sit for 2026 promotion exams

No fewer than 5,900 education officers of the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) are sitting for the 2026 promotion examination organised by the FCT Civil Service Commission, despite an ongoing strike by FCT workers.

FCTA Head of Civil Service, Nancy Nathan, who monitored the exercise in Abuja on Monday, noted that the turnout was impressive despite the ongoing strike declared by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), FCT Council.

“It is good to see that the teachers have prioritised their long-term career advancement by turning out to sit for the examination,” she said.

Ms Nathan explained that some of the participants were those who could not write the 2025 exercise conducted in August.

She added that the affected teachers were chased out of the examination hall by officials of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) protesting the vacancy precondition in the promotion of education officers.

She said that FCT Minister Nyesom Wike has graciously directed that the affected teachers should be included in the 2026 exercise.

Addressing promotion vacancies, the head of service clarified that available slots naturally narrow at higher grade levels due to the civil service pyramid structure.

She added that the implementation of the harmonised retirement age for teachers, which extended service by five years, temporarily froze retirements and limited vacancies over the past four years.

She, however, said that ample space remains available for officers at the lower cadre advancing to higher positions up to Grade Level 14.

“The promotions will be strictly merit-based, and educators will return to their classrooms immediately they finish their assessments,” she said.

Also speaking, Chairman of the FCT Civil Service Commission, Emeka Ezeh, commended the candidates’ enthusiasm since the exercise began on 5 October.

Mr Ezeh advised the educators against falling prey to external influences or political motives that could compromise their professional growth.

Also speaking, Rifkatu Iortyer, president of the Joint Unions Action Congress (JUAC) for the FCTA workers and Federal Capital Development Authority, expressed satisfaction with the inclusion of teachers who could not write the 2025 exercise.

Speaking on the ongoing strike by FCT workers, Ms Iortyer said that JUAC leadership is facilitating informal discussions between labour leaders and FCTA management to resolve the industrial dispute and minimise disruption to student learning.

She urged calm over the no work, no pay policy invoked by Mr Wike, expressing confidence that the ongoing dialogue would yield a peaceful, mutually beneficial outcome.

For his part, Adamu Gwary, director, FCTA Security Services Department, said the exercise was peaceful after security personnel were deployed to ensure safety throughout.

Mr Gwary attributed the development to a structured, multi-layered security framework, including strict accreditation checkpoints from the main gates to the examination halls to ensure smooth crowd control.

(NAN)