FCT strike: Wike grants reprieve as 5,990 education officers sit promotion exams

No fewer than 5,990 education officers in the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) have begun their 2026 promotion examinations following an intervention by FCT Minister Nyesom Wike, even as labour leaders insist that the ongoing teachers’ strike remains lawful.

The examination, which began on October 5, entered its sixth day on Monday, October 12, with officers on Grade Levels 13 to 17 participating.

The intervention also provided another opportunity for education officers who missed the 2025 promotion examination after members of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), FCT chapter, disrupted the exercise.

The 2025 examination was conducted by the FCT Civil Service Commission in July for staff across various cadres. However, education officers were reportedly prevented from completing their examination after union members chased them out of the examination hall during the two days allocated to their cadre.

Following appeals by affected officers and labour groups, including the Joint Union Action Committee (JUAC), the Academic Staff Union of Secondary Schools (ASUSS), FCT chapter, and the NUT, Wike approved the rescheduling of the examination.

Speaking during an inspection of the venue, the Head of the FCTA Civil Service, Nancy Sabanti Nathan, expressed satisfaction with the turnout and orderly conduct of the candidates.

She said the minister’s intervention had given affected officers another opportunity to advance their careers.

Nathan, however, explained that promotion opportunities at higher grade levels were limited because vacancies became fewer as officers advanced through the civil service.

She attributed some of the constraints to the implementation of the Harmonised Retirement Age for Teachers Act, 2022, which extended teachers’ retirement age and reduced vacancies arising from retirement.

Also speaking, the Chairman of the FCT Civil Service Commission, Emeka Ezeh, confirmed that approximately 5,990 education officers were participating in the examination, covering promotions from Grade Level 13 to 14 and higher levels up to Grade Level 17.

He urged candidates to avoid external and political influences that could jeopardise their professional advancement, assuring them that the commission remained committed to a transparent, merit-based process.

Meanwhile, JUAC President for the FCTA and FCDA, Rifkatu Iortyer, said the examination had proceeded smoothly. She expressed satisfaction that officers who missed the 2025 exercise had been given another opportunity.

However, she expressed concern about the impact of the industrial dispute on academic activities and called on the unions and FCTA management to return to the negotiating table.

Iortyer said union leaders were exploring informal mediation to resolve the disagreement and urged members to remain calm while dialogue continued.

The dispute centres on the FCTA’s promotion policy, including the requirement for available vacancies before teachers can be promoted, the handling of the 2025 promotion exercise and the alleged demotion of some education directors affected by the Harmonised Retirement Age for Teachers Act.

In a statement dated October 11, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), FCT Council, challenged Wike’s threat to enforce the “No Work, No Pay” policy against striking teachers, describing it as illegal and vowing to challenge any salary deductions in court.

The statement, signed by the council’s chairman, Knabayi Adalo, directed teachers to remain at home and ignore attendance registers allegedly opened by school principals and head teachers to monitor compliance with the strike.