By Samuel Adeola
Senior citizens in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), under the aegis of the FCT Senior Citizens Forum, have called on the Minister of the FCT, Nyesom Wike, and the six area council chairmen to immediately resolve the ongoing strike that has crippled primary education and healthcare services across the territory for over three months.
Speaking at a press conference in Abuja, the Forum’s Coordinator, Elder Danjuma Tanko Dara, described the situation as a “monumental failure of governance,” warning that the shutdown of essential services has plunged the capital into a “state of social emergency.”
“The simultaneous collapse of our primary schools and healthcare centres represents a double tragedy for our society,” Dara lamented. “While our children are left to roam the streets instead of learning in classrooms, the sick and vulnerable are being denied basic medical care. This is not the Abuja we envisioned.”
Now in its 14th week, the strike began due to the failure of the area councils to implement the N70,000 national minimum wage and pay outstanding salaries owed to teachers and primary healthcare workers since 2023.
The senior citizens urged Minister Wike to intervene decisively. “The Honourable Minister must rise to this occasion,” Dara said. “We know his reputation as a man of action. This is the moment to demonstrate that same political will to rescue the critical sectors of education and health.”
To resolve the crisis, the Forum proposed immediate steps including reconvening the tripartite committee, deducting salaries directly from area council allocations, and establishing a special intervention fund for the affected workers.
The elders emphasized that the prolonged impasse is not only disrupting lives but also weakening the social fabric of the FCT.
They urged all stakeholders to put the people first and act with urgency to end the suffering of thousands of residents, especially children and the elderly, who rely heavily on public schools and healthcare centres.
