The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has formally thrown its weight behind the ongoing indefinite strike by workers of the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA), describing the standoff as a critical battle against an “oppressive and insensitive” management.
In a scathing statement issued by NLC President Joe Ajaero, the Congress alleged a systemic campaign of wage abuse, diversion of entitlements, and “fascistic” intimidation by the FCTA leadership. The industrial action, coordinated by the Joint Unions Action Congress (JUAC), has effectively paralysed government operations across the capital’s secretariats and agencies.
The dispute centres on a litany of unresolved financial and administrative grievances that the NLC claims have undermined the livelihoods of thousands of public servants. Key allegations include:
- Withheld Remuneration: The illegal withholding of five months’ wage awards and outstanding promotion arrears, which the NLC labelled a direct assault on the constitutional guarantee of remuneration.
- Economic Sabotage: Failure to remit Pension contributions and National Housing Fund (NHF) deductions since May 2025. The NLC warned that this “capital accumulation by dispossession” exposes workers to a destitute retirement.
- Administrative Impunity: Allegations of mass failure in the 2024 promotion examinations, which the unions claim was a deliberate ploy to avoid paying legitimate arrears.
Beyond financial disputes, the NLC accused the FCTA of adopting draconian measures to silence dissent. These include:
- Strict restrictions on mobile phone usage within workplaces.
- The reported incarceration and intimidation of union activists.
- General harassment of staff attempting to exercise their constitutional rights to collective bargaining.
“This struggle is no longer merely a labour dispute; it is a people’s struggle against an insensitive administration. The patience of the working class is exhausted,” the NLC declared.
In a significant escalation, the NLC has directed all affiliate unions within the FCT to fully align with the strike, effectively broadening the scope of the shutdown.
Furthermore, the Congress has ordered a mass mobilisation of workers to the National Industrial Court on Monday, 26 January 2026. The court is scheduled to hear a suit filed by the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, seeking to restrain the unions from further industrial action. The Minister maintains that the administration has met the majority of the workers’ demands and that the strike is “unnecessary and illegal.”
To maintain morale, the NLC has mandated daily prayer and solidarity sessions across the FCT from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. It has also called for a grand alliance with civil society organisations, student groups, and community activists to sustain pressure until its demands are conclusively met.
With both the FCTA leadership and organised labour dug in, all eyes remain on the National Industrial Court to see whether a judicial intervention can break the deadlock or if the capital faces an extended period of administrative paralysis.
