The Federal Capital Territory, FCT, striking unions have continued their industrial action despite a court order compelling them to resume work.
The Federal Capital Territory Administration, FCTA, workers under the Joint Union Action Committee, JUAC, on January 19 began an indefinite strike over unresolved welfare concerns.
JUAC embarked on the industrial action to appeal for urgent action to resolve the welfare issues affecting their “morale and productivity”.
The Nigeria Union of Teachers, NUT, and the Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees, NULGE, joined the strike on Monday in solidarity with their counterparts at the FCTA and the FCDA. Among other things, the workers are demanding the payment of five-month wage awards, outstanding 2023 and 2024 promotion arrears; full payment of 13 months’ hazard allowance and 22 months’ rural allowance for health workers.
Other demands include remittance of pension and National Housing Fund deductions; stoppage of intimidation of workers; improved staff welfare and working conditions.
The National Industrial Court in Abuja had on Tuesday ordered the FCTA workers to suspend the strike pending further hearing in a suit brought by the FCT authorities to stop the industrial action.
Judge Emmanuel Subilim issued the order in a ruling on an application filed by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, and the FCTA.
A court document sighted by our correspondent on Wednesday shows that the suit has Wike and FCTA as claimants. At the same time, the leaders of the striking unions, Rifkatu Iortyer and Abdullahi Umar Saleh, are defendants.
The document, dated Tuesday, 27th January, 2026, and signed by the Registrar, indicated that the application before the court was for “an Order of injunction to restrain the Defendants in the manner sought on the face of the Motion paper”.
When contacted on Wednesday, Lere Olayinka, the Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication and New Media to the FCT Minister, said those who declared the strike have resumed.
According to him, workers who are yet to resume may not have been properly informed on suspension of the strike. He said, “The strike was not declared by the NUT. Those who declared the strike have resumed. They were in their offices today.
“If other people have not resumed, maybe they have not gotten the correct information. I’m sure that by tomorrow (today) they should be at work”.
