The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has blown hot over the ongoing strike in the FCT, declaring that it is driven by political interest, not workers’ welfare.
No Work, No Pay – Wike Roars
Speaking with reporters in Abuja on Friday after a high-level meeting, a visibly angry Wike ordered the six Area Council chairmen to enforce the “no work, no pay” policy against teachers and other workers participating in the strike.
He described the industrial action declared by the FCT chapter of the Nigeria Labour Congress as illegal, unwarranted and politically motivated, vowing that his administration will not succumb to political blackmail.
“We want to state categorically and let it be known to the public: this so-called strike declaration is political, and we will not accept it. We will not accept it because there is no basis for anybody to call for a strike,” Wike declared.
Strike Has No Basis
Wike insisted that all issues raised by the unions have been addressed and implementation is already ongoing.
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He said there is no justification for the strike, revealing that key stakeholders including senior primary school teachers and the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) have already distanced themselves from the action.
“We don’t have any issue with the local government areas, local education authorities or primary schools,” he said.
According to him, promotion matters are being addressed, while appointment of directors is purely an establishment issue.
NLC Chairman Accused Of Partisanship
Wike accused the FCT NLC leadership of pursuing partisan interests, alleging that the union’s chairman previously contested an Area Council election on the platform of the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
“I have directed the Area Councils to go back and call their teachers and civil servants. If anybody does this, we’ll implement ‘no work, no pay’. Enough is enough; we can’t continue with this,” Wike warned.
Meanwhile, the Trade Union Congress (TUC) has broken ranks with NLC, dissociating itself from the strike and calling for dialogue.
