Hussein Yahaya &Abubakar Sadiq Isah
The six FCT area council chairmen, on Tuesday, told the House of Representatives Committee on Area Councils and Auxiliary Matters that their allocations are not enough to pay the N70,000 national minimum wage the striking workers of the councils demand.
The council chairmen, through their leader, Danladi Chiya, who is also Kwali Area Council chairman, was speaking for the first time since the crisis started, at a resolution meeting called by the Reps committee on Tuesday.
However, Abuja Metro learnt that the meeting, which had in attendance five of the six area council chairmen, leaders of the FCT councils of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), the Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) as well as the National Association of Nurses and Midwifery (NANAM), ended in a deadlock.
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What happened at the meeting?
A source, who is a leader of one of the labour unions, who was part of the meeting, told Abuja Metro that the meeting ended in a deadlock despite the committee’s appeal to the unions to suspend the strike so that the members could look into their demands.
The source said the leaders of the unions vowed to continue with the strike because several previous agreements/undertakings made between the unions and the council chairmen yielded no result.
He said the committee members asked the council chairmen during the meeting if their allocations, the IGR, including the 10% FCT IRS accruals, would still not be able to settle the new wage.
The source said, “The council chairmen, led by the chairman of Kwali Area Council, who is the FCT ALGON chairman, Danladi Chiya, told the committee members at the meeting that inadequacy of their monthly allocation made it difficult for them to implement the new minimum wage in the six area councils.’’
‘Money received from Wike not for workers’
The source at the meeting said the committee expressed its displeasure at the disruption of academic activities at the primary school level and the loss of lives due to the closure of primary health centres.
He said, “After the presentations by the joint labour unions, the council chairmen were asked if the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, intervened on the issue through the release of over N4.1 billion.
“After the initial denial, the council chairmen reluctantly accepted that the said money was released to them, but according to them, it was not meant for the implementation of the minimum wage,” he said.
He said the committee resolved to invite the FCT Permanent Secretary of Treasury for clarification, since the council chairmen denied that the said N4.1 billion given to them by the minister was not meant for the payment of minimum wage and other entitlements of the striking teachers.
He said the committee members also instructed the six council chairmen to render an account of what they did with the over N4.1 billion on or before Friday, May 2, 2025.
The source added, “Though the committee agreed with the demands of the joint unions, but it pleaded with us to suspend the ongoing strike for the sake of the education of the younger ones and the sanctity of lives.
“We told members of the committee that the six council chairmen can’t be trusted because they have repeatedly failed to honour previous agreements/undertakings with us.’’
He added, “Considering the previous failed promises and agreements by the council chairmen, we view the outcome of the meeting as not convincing enough for any serious consideration and, therefore, resolved to continue with the strike until the outstanding demands are met.”
The labour leader said the meeting ended after the committee promised to take up the issue of the FCT area council workers’ welfare seriously when the house resumes from its recess.
Abuja Metro learnt that the meeting had in attendance the council chairmen of Abaji, Abubakar Umar Abdullahi; Bwari, John Gabaya; Gwagwalada, Alhaji Abubakar Jibrin Giri; Kwali, Danladi Chiya; AMAC, Christopher Zakka Maikalangu; while that of Kuje Area Council, Abdullahi Suleiman Sabo, was absent.
Released N4.1bn for striking workers’ payments, Wike insists
The FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, has insisted that the N4.17 billion he released to the six area councils’ chairmen is for the payments of the new national minimum wage and other allowances being owed the striking workers.
Wike made the clarity through the FCT Head of Service, Grace Adayilo,during the 2025 International Workers’ Day celebration in Abuja
He said, “I had approved the release of N4.17 billion to the six Area Councils for wage payment. I now urge them to do the needful and pay workers their due.”
He also noted the ongoing efforts to improve the working conditions of primary schools’ teachers, including school renovations and the provision of learning materials.
Strike continues- workers
Also reacting, the chairman of the state wing of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), Comrade Abdullahi Mohammed Shafas, said the ongoing strike will continue because the meeting ended in a deadlock.
He said the six area council chairmen have no political will to implement the new minimum wage, noting that several agreements and undertakings between the unions and the council chairmen had yielded no result.
“So, the joint unions are not shifting ground on the strike until the workers’ demands are met because we have no confidence in the area council chairmen anymore,” he said.
Recall that primary school teachers, area councils’ workers as well as medical staff at the primary health centre level have been on strike for over a month.
They are demanding the implementation of the new minimum wage and other entitlements by the council chairmen.
The workers, on Thursday, led by their union leaders, staged a peaceful protest at the FCT minister’s office over the non-implementation of the new minimum wage and payment of other entitlements by the council chairmen.
Daily Trust
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