The Nigeria Labour Congress has backed an indefinite strike by workers of the Federal Capital Territory Administration, citing unpaid wages, promotion arrears, and unremitted pension contributions.
The strike, organised under the Joint Unions Action Congress, began on Monday and has disrupted operations across multiple FCTA offices in Abuja. Workers have accused management of failing to address long-standing grievances, including wage delays and outstanding promotion payments.
In a statement on Friday, NLC President Joe Ajaero said the union had reviewed a petition from JUAC and determined that workers were facing a deliberate and calculated assault on the working class. The union also accused the administration of capitalist exploitation and bureaucratic oppression.
“The case of wage abuse is clear. The illegal withholding of five months’ wage awards and promotion arrears is not an administrative oversight but a brazen denial of workers’ legitimate earnings, a direct attack on livelihoods, and a violation of the constitutional guarantee of remuneration,” Ajaero stated.
“Furthermore, the non-remittance of pension contributions since May 2025, along with National Housing Fund deductions, constitutes economic sabotage, exposing both active and retired workers to potential destitution in old age. This is, in essence, capital accumulation by dispossession. It is unacceptable,” he added.
FCTA officials, however, said progress had been made. The Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications, Lere Olayinka, said 10 of the 14 demands presented by the unions had been addressed and that efforts were ongoing on the remaining four.
JUAC disputed these claims, insisting that no formal agreement had been reached and that none of the issues had been conclusively implemented or independently verified.
The union condemned the alleged intimidation of staff, including bans on phone usage and the reported incarceration of workers. It described these actions as fascistic tactics designed to cripple workers’ solidarity and silence dissent, in blatant disregard for constitutional rights and international labour conventions.
In response to the grievances, the NLC directed a total escalation of the industrial action, instructing all affiliate unions within the FCT to fully align with and intensify the ongoing strike. Workers were also urged to converge en masse at the National Industrial Court on Monday, 26 January 2026, where matters relating to the dispute are scheduled to be heard.
The NLC further mandated daily prayer and solidarity sessions from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. at designated venues across the FCT, describing them as “a continuous spiritual and moral assembly to fortify our resolve and spotlight our righteous cause until all demands are met.”
Despite the disruption, the FCTA has maintained that progress has been made on issues raised by the workers. According to the administration, payment of the five months’ wage award has commenced, while other allowances, including hazard and rural allowances for health workers, have been paid. It added that outstanding 2023 promotion arrears approved in December 2025 were being processed and that measures had been put in place to address tenure issues, training needs, and compliance with public service rules.
The ongoing strike has paralysed activities across several government offices in Abuja, with JUAC insisting that the industrial action will continue until all demands are fully implemented. The union has urged workers to remain united and resolute, rejecting what it described as premature claims that issues such as unpaid wage awards, rural allowances, and promotion arrears had been resolved.
The NLC also called on all trade unions in the FCT to collaborate with civil society organisations, student groups, community activists, and the wider public, stressing that the struggle “is no longer just a labour dispute; it is a people’s struggle against an insensitive administration.”
It warned the FCTA management and political leadership that “the patience of the working class is exhausted”, insisting that the administration’s obligations align with workers’ demands. The NLC pledged to sustain the struggle until the “abuse of workers’ rights is halted and their dignity restored.”
