FCT Schools Reopen as Wike’s ₦5bn Monthly Deal Ends Teachers’ Six-Day Strike

Public primary and secondary schools in the Federal Capital Territory reopened on Monday after the Nigeria Union of Teachers FCT Wing suspended a six-day strike, following a deal with FCT Minister Nyesom Wike that many teachers had stopped believing would ever come.

The decision to suspend the strike was taken at an emergency State Wing Executive Council meeting held at Teachers’ House in Gwagwalada on Sunday. The strike had begun on April 20, shutting schools across the FCT and leaving thousands of pupils at home for the better part of a week.

At the centre of the resolution is a ₦5 billion monthly funding framework approved by Wike. Under the arrangement, ₦2 billion will come from the FCT’s Internally Generated Revenue, while ₦3 billion will be drawn from the 10 per cent statutory IGR allocation of the Area Councils. The funds are meant to clear the 40 per cent Peculiar Allowance owed to teachers and begin settling outstanding arrears.

Key Concession on Promotions

Beyond the money, teachers won a policy victory that may prove equally important. The government agreed to remove the controversial “vacancy” requirement that had blocked qualified teachers from being promoted for years. Many teachers had completed their promotion criteria but were told no vacancies existed — a frustration that had been building long before this strike.

The FCT teachers’ strike was one of several ongoing labour disputes in Nigeria’s education sector. The Wike-NUT agreement sets a precedent of sorts: that sustained industrial action, backed by a clear set of demands, can produce results. Whether the ₦5 billion monthly commitment holds once the headlines fade is the real test.

For now, pupils are back in classrooms. Parents in Abuja who spent the week managing disrupted routines will take that as a win — however cautious.

Sources: Nigeria Info FM, Per Second News, Blueprint