10 Of 14 Demands Of FCTA Workers Already Met, Strike Ill- motivated – Wike’s Aide

The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) says 10 out of the 14 demands of workers currently on strike have been met, adding that the remaining demands are being looked into with a view to addressing them.

The Senior Special Assistant to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, on Public Communications and Social Media, Lere Olayinka, who made this known in a statement on Monday, said that top officials of the FCTA have held several meetings with union leaders, including meetings on Saturday and Sunday.

According to the statement, some workers under various unions, such as the Law Officers Association of Nigeria, have dissociated themselves from the strike action, and that these workers deserve the right to be allowed access to their offices to perform their duties.

“The Association of Resident Doctors, Federal Capital Territory (ARD-FCTA), even wrote to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, appreciating him for “his exemplary leadership and commitment to the welfare of healthcare workers, as demonstrated by the payment of the longstanding 13 months hazard allowance arrears as well as the payment of one month wage award.”

He said that in one of the meetings held with the Joint Union Action Committee (JUAC) leaders on Friday, January 16, the demands as well as the interventions of the FCT Minister were laid bare, and at no point did the Minister express unwillingness to address any of the demands.

“An appeal was made to JUAC officials that the other pending issues were not severe enough to warrant the declaration of a strike action, and that dialogue should be adopted in resolving all other issues affecting staff welfare in the FCTA.

“For instance, one of the demands made was the non-payment of outstanding five months’ wage award, the payment of which has commenced. Also, the outstanding 13 months hazard allowance and 22 months rural allowance for health workers have been fully paid by the administration.

“The workers also listed the non-payment of 2023 promotion arrears and outstanding 2024 promotion arrears as part of their demands. Meanwhile, the outstanding arrears in the sum of ₦286,166,772.46, covering 724 officers across 24 SDAs, were approved by the Minister in December 2025 and are being processed for payment to the beneficiaries”.

“On the elongation of tenure of retired Directors and Permanent Secretaries in violation of the Public Service Rules, this has been resolved, with the Minister assuring the workers of strict compliance with the Public Service Rules”.

“JUAC also raised the issue of lack of training and retraining of staff, and on this, all SDAs have been directed to forward general and specialized training needs to the Permanent Secretary, Common Services, for onward submission to the Office of the Head of Service for further necessary action.”

“Another issue is the non-remittance of National Housing Fund (NHF) deductions and pension contributions since May 2025, which is the function of the workers themselves and has nothing to do with the Minister or the FCTA management. The Head of Service has therefore constituted a committee comprising workers to holistically address all issues relating to deductions and remittances.”

“On the claim of a defective promotion examination process with a pass rate of about 22.5 percent, it was pointed out that the figures and percentages presented by JUAC had no official backing, and they were therefore advised to await the formal release of the results of the promotion examinations as directed by the Minister.”

Also, the issue of overstay of overseeing directors has been reasonably addressed by the conduct of the 2023 promotion for eligible Deputy Directors, while the release of the just-concluded 2024 staff promotion by the FCT Civil Service Commission will conclusively address the matter”.

In all, it can be seen that the FCT Minister has made concerted efforts to address the demands of the workers, and he will continue to accord them top priority”.

“From all indications, therefore, and considering all the efforts already made by the Minister in acceding to almost all the demands, as well as the explanations by the FCTA management staff in the meetings held, the strike action embarked upon by JUAC is unnecessary, ill-motivated, and obviously aimed at achieving purposes other than the welfare of the workers”.

The FCTA also calls on security agencies to ensure that workers who have opted not to be part of the strike have access to their offices so as to carry out their lawful duties unhindered.”

Remi Johnson, Edited By Grace Namiji