FCTA Employees Protest, Lock Down Secretariat Over Welfare Concerns

FCTA Workers Protest, Shut Down Secretariat Over Welfare Issues

Workers under the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA), operating through the Joint Union Action Congress (JUAC), on Monday locked the gates of the FCTA Secretariat in protest over long-standing welfare challenges.

JUAC President, Mrs. Rifkatu Iortyer, listed several grievances fueling the protest, including the non-payment of overhead costs for office operations since December 2024, lack of staff training and retraining, stagnated promotions, and salary irregularities.

She also highlighted the prolonged strikes by primary healthcare workers and public school teachers, stressing the broader implications on public services.

According to Iortyer, the demonstration would persist until the Minister of the FCT, Nyesom Wike, addresses the workers’ demands. She warned that if no action is taken within three days, the union would reconvene to decide on the next steps.

While acknowledging Wike’s recent reforms—particularly the establishment of the FCT Civil Service Commission, which enables career advancement up to the rank of Permanent Secretary—Iortyer emphasized that these strides have not translated into tangible improvements in staff welfare.

“We are protesting over numerous issues, and we are not happy,” she said. “There is no training, and since December, no overhead has been released to run offices. We go from one office to another just to borrow paper to work.”

She noted that apart from the appointment of Permanent Secretaries, there had been no staff promotions since August 2023, when the administration last cleared a backlog.

Iortyer also condemned the non-payment of casual workers, particularly those from the Abuja Environmental Protection Board (AEPB), who haven’t received wages since December 2024.

“These are the people who sweep the streets and manage cemeteries and mortuaries,” she said. “They may not be career civil servants, but they are human beings with families. If FCTA no longer wants casual workers, it should absorb them fully into the system.”

Although primary schools fall under the purview of the Area Councils, Iortyer called on Minister Wike to intervene and help resolve the ongoing strike by teachers, referring to him as the “father of all.”

She reiterated that the protest would last three days, after which the union would determine its next course of action if there is still no official response.

As of the time of filing this report, no FCTA official had addressed the demonstrators, according to the Voice Of the People (VOP).