The Nigeria Labour Congress, Federal Capital Territory Council, has issued a seven-day ultimatum to the Federal Capital Territory Administration to resolve outstanding grievances affecting teachers or face an indefinite strike.
The ultimatum was contained in a letter dated 8 September 2026, addressed to the FCT Minister and signed by the NLC FCT Council Chairman, Knabayi S. Adalo.
The threat comes about two months after FCT teachers protested the use of vacancy as a condition for promotion, disrupting the 2025 promotion examination for workers under the FCT Administration.
Union rejects vacancy clause
The NLC said one of the major grievances was the application of the vacancy clause to teachers, whom it described as field workers and non-pool staff.
According to the union, the policy had caused serious career stagnation and prevented many teachers from progressing to the next cadre.
It also demanded that teachers who were eligible for the 2025 promotion examination but were barred from participating should be allowed to sit for the examination alongside the 2026 candidates.
The NLC said the situation had further affected teachers’ morale, particularly as promotion results for other cadres had been released and preparations for the 2026 exercise were already underway.
NLC challenges Teachers’ Retirement policy
The dispute also involves the implementation of the Harmonised Retirement Age for Teachers in Nigeria Act, 2022.
The law provides for teachers to retire at 65 years of age or after 40 years of pensionable service, whichever comes first, and expressly includes education officers in its definition of teachers.
The National Industrial Court, in a July 2026 judgment, ruled that the eight-year tenure policy for directors could not be applied to teachers and education officers in a way that conflicted with the 2022 Act.
The court consequently nullified relevant 2026 circulars issued by the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation and the Federal Ministry of Education, insofar as they affected teachers and education officers.
Union opposes Directors’ redeployment
The NLC also faulted the redeployment of Directors of Educational Agencies who are beneficiaries of the harmonised teachers’ retirement age back to the classroom.
The union alleged that their positions were being filled by junior officers, describing the move as “demoralising, humiliating and an aberration to the Public Service Structure.”
It said the development was detrimental to the effective administration of schools in the FCT.
NLC demands immediate action
The labour body said its affiliate, the Nigeria Union of Teachers, FCT Wing, had repeatedly engaged the FCT Civil Service Commission and other relevant authorities over the grievances without achieving meaningful resolution.
It therefore demanded the immediate removal of the vacancy clause from teachers’ promotion, the lifting of the ban on eligible 2025 teachers and their inclusion in the promotion examination with the 2026 candidates.
It also demanded the withdrawal of letters redeploying directors of educational agencies to the classroom and their restoration to their previous positions.
The NLC gave the FCT Administration seven days from the receipt of its letter to address the demands.
It warned that failure to resolve the issues would leave it with “no option but to direct all workers in the FCT to embark on an indefinite strike until our demands are met.”
The congress, however, said it remained committed to dialogue and industrial peace, stressing that the continued neglect of FCT teachers’ welfare could no longer be tolerated.
Meanwhile, the FCT Secondary Education Board’s promotion guidelines state that promotion is generally subject to the availability of vacancies, alongside other requirements including written examinations for eligible senior officers.
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