The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has labeled the ongoing industrial action by its workforce as unjustified, revealing that it has already fulfilled the vast majority of the unions’ requirements. According to the administration, “10 out of the 14 demands of the workers that are on strike have been met,” while the remaining four “are being looked into with a view to addressing them.”
The strike, which commenced on Monday, saw the Joint Union Action Congress (JUAC) shut down government activities across Abuja. The FCTA Secretariat was placed under heavy guard by the Nigeria Police Force and the Civil Defence Corps to manage the situation as government offices remained locked.
The union’s grievances stem from a seven-day ultimatum issued on January 7, 2026, over issues including unpaid promotion arrears, pension remittance failures, and the controversial tenure extensions of retired officials. However, Lere Olayinka, the Senior Special Assistant to the FCT Minister on Public Communications and Social Media, insisted that the administration has been proactive.
Olayinka disclosed that top officials held “several meetings with union leaders, including on Saturday and Sunday,” in a bid to avert the crisis. He noted that during a meeting on Friday, January 16, “the demands as well as the interventions of the FCT Minister were laid bare,” and emphasized that “at no point did the Minister express unwillingness to address any of the demands.”
The FCTA highlighted several key areas where significant financial commitments have already been made:
– Wage Awards: The administration confirmed that the **“non-payment of outstanding five months’ Wage Award, payment of which has commenced.”
– Health Allowances: In a major win for medical staff, the “outstanding 13 months Hazard Allowance and 22 months Rural Allowance for Health Workers have been fully paid by the administration.”
– Promotion Arrears: The Minister approved ₦286,166,772.46 in December 2025 to cover arrears for 724 officers, which “are being processed for payment to the beneficiaries.”
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Healthcare workers have already signaled their approval. The Association of Resident Doctors (ARD-FCTA) reportedly wrote to Minister Nyesom Wike, thanking him for “his exemplary leadership and commitment to the welfare of healthcare workers, as demonstrated by the payment of the longstanding 13 months hazard allowance arrears as well as the payment of one month wage award.”
Beyond monetary payments, the FCTA addressed the “tenure elongation” of retired directors, stating the matter “has been resolved with the Minister assuring the workers of strict compliance with the Public Service Rules.” Regarding the disputed 2024 promotion examinations—which the union claimed had a dismal 22.5% pass rate—the administration countered that “the figures and percentage presented by JUAC had no official backing.” The union was advised “to await the formal release of the results of the promotion examinations as directed by the Minister.”
On the issue of unremitted pension and housing fund deductions, the FCTA clarified that this “is the function of workers themselves and has nothing to do with the Minister or the FCTA management,” though a committee has been formed to resolve it holistically.
The FCTA maintains that the strike is a distraction from the progress being made. Olayinka stated that an appeal was made to JUAC officials arguing that “other pending issues were not severe enough to warrant the declaration of strike action,” and that “dialogue should be adopted in resolving all other issues affecting staff welfare in the FCTA.”
Ultimately, the administration described the move as “unnecessary, ill-motivated and obviously aimed at achieving purposes other than the welfare of the workers.” The FCTA has now called on security agencies to protect staff who have opted out of the strike, asserting they “deserve the rights to be allowed access to their offices to perform their duties.”
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