To protest the ongoing non-payment of their rights and the recently authorized minimum wage, primary school teachers and local government employees from the six Area Councils in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) peacefully demonstrated in Abuja on Thursday.
In order to voice their displeasure with the Area Council Chairmen’s failure to implement the ₦70,000 minimum salary and other related perks, the protesters, who were united under the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) and the Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE), marched through the streets.
Education and municipal employees from all six Area Councils participated widely in the long-awaited demonstration, which was first scheduled for Wednesday.
The unions complained that they were being treated unfairly in comparison to their direct employees of the FCT Administration, who are already enjoying the benefits of the new salary structure.
Comrade Sa’ad Abdulmumin, the FCT Secretary of NULGE, told reporters in Gwagwalada on Monday that the nonviolent demonstration was an intentional attempt to draw national attention to the ongoing disregard for their rights.
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Abdulmumin emphasized that despite the approval and disbursement of ₦4.1 billion by FCT Minister Nyesom Wike for the implementation of the new minimum wage, the six council chairmen have not complied.
In addition, he noted that the council leaders had not implemented the ₦30,000 wage award, the 25–35% salary adjustments, the 40% unique allowance, or the 35% adjustment under the CONHESS/CONMESS salary structures, in addition to the minimum wage.
Additionally, no pension deductions have been remitted to the employees’ Pension Fund Administrators (PFA).
Abdulmumin bemoaned that the Area Council Chairmen have not been willing to resolve the issues despite multiple industrial actions by the impacted personnel, calling their position “adamant, unmoved, and insensitive” to the welfare of the teachers and staff.
