FCTA Says 10 of 14 Striking Workers’ Demands Addressed

By Sofiat Adenekan -Abdul

The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has announced that 10 out of the 14 demands presented by striking workers have been fully addressed, while concrete steps are ongoing to resolve the remaining four.

In a statement issued on Monday, the Senior Special Assistant to the FCT Minister on Public Communications and Social Media, Lere Olayinka, says the FCTA has engaged extensively with labour unions through several meetings, including sessions held over the weekend.

According to the statement, the Joint Union Action Committee (JUAC) was briefed on all interventions approved by the Minister of the FCT, Nyesom Wike, during a meeting held on Friday, January 16.

Olayinka said the Minister never showed unwillingness to address any of the workers’ demands, stressing that dialogue was preferred to industrial action.

Payments

The statement listed the commencement of payment of the outstanding five months’ Wage Award among the issues addressed.

It also confirmed the full payment of 13 months’ Hazard Allowance and 22 months’ Rural Allowance for health workers.

In addition, the Minister approved ₦286.16 million to settle 2023 promotion arrears for 724 officers across 24 Secretariats, Departments and Agencies (SDAs), with the payment process currently ongoing.

Issues relating to the elongation of tenure of Directors and Permanent Secretaries were also resolved, with assurances of strict compliance with Public Service Rules.

On training and retraining, all SDAs have been directed to submit their training needs to the Permanent Secretary, Common Services, for onward action by the Office of the Head of Service.

Other Concerns

The FCTA said concerns over non-remittance of National Housing Fund (NHF) and pension deductions since May 2025 are being handled by a committee made up of workers themselves, noting that the matter is not directly under the Minister or FCTA management.

On claims of a defective promotion examination process and low pass rates, JUAC was advised to await the official release of results, as the figures being circulated do not have official backing.

The issue of overstaying overseeing directors, the statement added, is being addressed through the conduct of the 2023 and 2024 promotion exercises by the FCT Civil Service Commission.

Strike Action

The FCTA described the ongoing strike as unnecessary, given the level of engagement and progress made.

It also disclosed that some unions, including the Law Officers Association of Nigeria, have dissociated themselves from the strike.

According to the statement, the Association of Resident Doctors, FCT (ARD-FCTA), wrote to Minister Wike, commending him for clearing long-standing hazard allowance arrears and approving a one-month wage award.

The administration called on security agencies to ensure that workers who have chosen not to participate in the strike are allowed unhindered access to their offices to carry out their lawful duties.