His Excellency, Barr. Nyesom Wike,
Minister, Federal Capital Territory Administration,
Abuja.
Your Excellency,
We, the members of FCT LEA TEACHERS’ FORUM, write to bring to your attention the dire situation of primary school teachers in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). As the leader of the FCT Administration, we are confident that you will take immediate and decisive action to address the plight of these dedicated educators.
Under the leadership of the 6 Area Council Chairmen, who are all indigenous members of the FCT, LEA teachers have been subjected to untold hardship and neglect. Despite their tireless efforts to shape the minds and build the future generations of our great nation, they have been denied their rightful entitlements, including:
– 40% peculiar allowance
– 25% and 35% salary increase
– 35k wage award
– Annual increments
– Promotion implementation and arrears
– Upgrading of underemployed teachers
– Health insurance
– Welfare initiatives
The situation is exacerbated by the fact that some Area Councils are yet to clear the 9 months of New Minimum Wage (NMW) arrears, despite the FCT Administration’s commitment to ensuring timely payment of salaries and benefits. The current salary of LEA teachers is woefully inadequate, given the prevailing economic realities, and this has led to demotivation and frustration among primary school teachers in the FCT.
We are forced to ask:
1. What happened to the 10% Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) that was supposed to be used to settle teachers’ entitlements? Has this fund been misappropriated or diverted?
2. Is it not high time primary school teachers and education are taken over fully by the FCT Administration, given the Area Councils’ lack of capacity to properly manage same?
3. We recall that one of the core items of the Renewed Hope Agenda of Mr. President is Education. Yet, the very foundation of education is in shambles in the nation’s capital, which is supposed to be the torchbearer for other states to emulate. Why is this so?
Your Excellency, we appreciate your wonderful work in the area of infrastructure development in the FCT. However, we must emphasize that lives are being lost, primary education is dying if not dead already, and the future is gloomy. The continued neglect of LEA teachers will have far-reaching consequences for the FCT and the nation as a whole.
We implore you to take necessary action to salvage this ugly situation. We urge you to:
– Immediately address the outstanding entitlements of LEA teachers
– Take over the management of primary education in the FCT
– Ensure the welfare and well-being of LEA teachers
– Restore dignity and respect to the teaching profession
We are confident that, under your leadership, the FCT Administration will take bold and decisive action to address the plight of LEA teachers, restore the dignity of the teaching profession and prevent further strike actions like the last one that greatly disrupted academic activities in FCT public primary schools.
Thank you for your attention to this urgent matter.
Sincerely,
ABDULSALAM Haruna
Coordinator,
FCT LEA TEACHERS’ FORUM.
5th December, 2025.