JUST IN: FCT Schools Set to Shut as NUT Orders Teachers to Join Ongoing Strike
Public primary and secondary schools across the Federal Capital Territory are set to close as teachers prepare to join the ongoing industrial action declared by labour unions in the territory.
The Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), FCT Wing, has instructed all its members to withdraw their services from Monday, January 26, 2026.
This directive affects teachers in both basic and secondary schools within Abuja and its surrounding communities.
The union said the decision followed a fresh directive from the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), asking all affiliate unions in the FCT to fully participate in the strike already underway.
NUT explained that it could no longer stay out of the action despite earlier concerns about how the protest was being organised.
In a statement signed by the union’s leadership, teachers were ordered to abandon classrooms and report for a mass gathering in Abuja.
“All teachers in FCT primary and secondary schools are to stay away from classrooms starting Monday. Teachers within the city centre and surrounding areas are directed to converge at the National Industrial Court (NIC) on Gimbiya Street, Area 11, Abuja, by 7 a.m. on Monday.
“The gathering is intended to show solidarity during the hearing of a court case instituted against JUAC,” the communiqué stated.
The union said the move was necessary to show unity among workers and to push authorities to address issues directly affecting teachers and other public servants in the territory.
While expressing earlier reservations about the structure of the Joint Union Action Committee (JUAC) strike, NUT noted that the intervention of the NLC made collective action unavoidable. According to the union, negotiations with the government would continue until teachers’ demands are resolved.
“In pursuit of justice and to demonstrate our collective resolve, we must stand together. A people united can never be defeated,” the communiqué said.
Teachers were urged to remain disciplined and peaceful while awaiting further instructions from the union leadership.
The ongoing strike by FCT workers is linked to several unresolved welfare matters. These include complaints over unpaid entitlements, non-remittance of pension and National Housing Fund deductions, and delays in overhead payments.
Workers have also raised concerns about the centralisation of salary preparation and payment, which they say has worsened financial hardship.
In addition, staff of agencies such as the Abuja Environmental Protection Board and the Social Development Secretariat are demanding the settlement of outstanding allowances owed to officers engaged in enforcing government policies.
Union leaders warned that the strike would continue indefinitely if concrete steps are not taken by the authorities to resolve the issues.
Schools across the FCT are expected to remain shut as long as teachers participate in the protest, raising fears of disruption to academic activities for thousands of pupils and students.
