The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has threatened to use 10 per cent of the Internally Generated Revenue due to the six Area Councils of the FCT to settle striking teachers’ entitlements.
Wike issued the threat in Abuja yesterday while responding to journalists on the FCT Administration’s intervention in the impasse between the primary school teachers and the six area councils of the FCT.
The FCT Wing of the Nigerian Union of Teachers (NUT) resumed industrial action on September 18 over unresolved welfare issues between it and the territory’s six area councils.
The strike is a continuation of earlier ones suspended by the union in October 2023 and January 2024.
Reacting to the development, the Minister said he had invited the chairmen of the area councils and the NUT leaders to find a way out.
“We have tried to do what we could to see the system was moving well. It is, however, unfortunate that the teachers are still on strike. It isn’t very good. If the teachers are not paid, I will use the 10 per cent of IGR which we usually pay to the area councils to pay the teachers.
“I will not fold my hands and allow that to happen. No serious government will see their teachers stay home and their children suffer. I will not tolerate that; I won’t,” the Minister said.
Some unresolved issues are the non-payment of 60 percent of the 25-month-old minimum wage arrears and the non-implementation and payment of 25 percent and 35 percent salary increases.
Others are the non-implementation and payment of the 40 per cent peculiar allowance, the non-payment of the N35,000 wage award arrears, and the non-implementation of the template on outstanding entitlements of teachers as agreed in 2022.
The union said that the FCT Minister had earlier intervened and promised to pay 40 percent of the outstanding 25 months’ minimum wage arrears.
As part of the resolution for suspending the strike, the six area councils were expected to pay 60 percent of the minimum wage arrears.
The teachers acknowledged that Wike had redeemed the 40 per cent pledge, while the area councils’ chairpersons have not fulfilled their part of the agreement.
