Abuja, Nigeria – The 2024/2025 academic session of public primary schools in FCT was marred by a three-month strike by teachers demanding their rights from area council chairmen.
According to Abdulsalam Haruna, Coordinator of the FCT LEA Teachers’ Forum, the intervention of the FCT minister led to the implementation of the 70k NMW and partial payment of 9 months’ arrears, with 3 out of 6 area councils still owing part of the NMW arrears.
However, Haruna noted that this is just a fraction of the outstanding demands. The teachers are still owed 40% peculiar allowance implementation and arrears, 25 and 35 percent salary increase implementation and arrears, 35K wage award implementation and arrears, and promotion arrears from 2014 to date. Additionally, there has been no implementation of promotion since 2023, no annual increments since 2023, and underemployed teachers in Kuje, Bwari, and Gwagwalada are yet to be upgraded since 2018. The teachers also lack health insurance and welfare packages.
“The teachers are still struggling with many unpaid entitlements despite the minister’s intervention,” Haruna said, expressing the plight of the teachers.