Minister of Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has vowed to utilize 10% of the Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) earmarked for Area Councils to settle the salaries of striking primary school teachers in the FCT. This decisive move was announced on Thursday, following Wike’s inspection of the ongoing Apo-Karshi Road project .
Wike emphasized that the strike, now in its second week, cannot be allowed to disrupt the education of innocent children, stressing that no responsible government would tolerate such a situation. The teachers’ strike began on September 18, 2024, after the FCT Wing of the Nigeria Union of Teachers issued a 14-day ultimatum to the Area Council Chairmen .
It’s worth noting that Wike has previously blamed the Area Council Chairmen for the ongoing strike, citing their failure to meet their responsibilities, particularly regarding the payment of 40% Peculiar Allowance and 25 months’ minimum wage arrears . The Minister has also held a closed-door meeting with the Union to resolve the issues.
The minister added that he had invited the Chairmen of the Area Councils and the FCT NUT leadership to discuss the issue.
“I’ve invited the Area Council Chairmen and the NUT to let us sit down. These are the things we talk about. We try to do what we can to see that the system is moving well. It is unfortunate, as I told the Area Council Chairmen, that the teachers are on strike.”
“And that will mean that if the teachers are not paid, then I will use the 10% IGR, which nobody has paid to them, to pay the teachers. I will not fold my arms and allow that to happen. No serious government will allow their teachers to stay at home while the children are suffering; I will not tolerate that,” he said.
Speaking on the Apo-Karshi project, the minister said the contractor, Messrs Khakatar Limited, had given assurances of completing the project in April 2025, noting that he had opted to give the contractor the benefit of the doubt.
“I still have my doubts, but they are insisting that by April, they will have completed this project. It’s a project very dear to us; we know the importance of this road. So many people are eager to see that this project is completed on time so that it will ease a lot of traffic and also boost the economic activities of this area. Let us give them the benefit of the doubt,” he stated.
