The Nigeria Labour Congress, Federal Capital Territory Council, has given the FCT Administration seven days to address grievances over the promotion and career progression of teachers or face an indefinite strike.
The congress said the ultimatum became necessary after repeated engagements between its affiliate, the Nigeria Union of Teachers, and relevant FCT authorities failed to produce a satisfactory resolution to the disputes.
The warning was contained in a September 8, 2026 letter to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory and signed by the NLC FCT Council Chairman, Knabayi S. Adalo.
At the centre of the dispute is the application of a vacancy requirement to teachers’ promotion, a policy the labour body said had prevented eligible teachers from advancing in their careers because they are field workers rather than pool staff.
The controversy followed the disruption of the 2025 promotion examination for FCT Administration workers after teachers protested their exclusion on the basis of the vacancy condition.
The NLC also faulted the treatment of teachers under the Harmonised Retirement Age for Teachers in Nigeria Act, 2022, which provides for retirement at 65 years or after 40 years of pensionable service, whichever comes first.
It further cited a July 2026 judgment of the National Industrial Court, which ruled against applying the eight-year tenure policy for directors to teachers and education officers in a manner inconsistent with the 2022 retirement law.
According to the congress, the court consequently nullified relevant 2026 circulars issued by the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation and the Federal Ministry of Education to the extent that they affected teachers and education officers.
The labour body said it was particularly concerned that some teachers who were qualified to take the 2025 promotion examination were prevented from doing so, even as results for other cadres had been released and preparations for the 2026 exercise were underway.
It demanded that the affected teachers be allowed to participate in the promotion examination and that the vacancy condition be removed from the promotion process for teachers.
Another grievance raised by the NLC was the redeployment of directors of educational agencies covered by the harmonised retirement policy to classrooms, with the congress alleging that junior officers had subsequently taken over their former positions.
Describing the development as demoralising and inconsistent with the public service structure, the NLC called for the affected directors to be returned to their previous positions.
The congress said letters, meetings and a peaceful protest by the teachers’ union had failed to bring about the desired action from the FCT Administration.
It therefore gave the administration seven days from the receipt of its letter to remove the vacancy requirement, allow eligible 2025 candidates to sit for the promotion examination alongside the 2026 candidates and reverse the redeployment of the educational agency directors.
The NLC warned that failure to meet the demands within the deadline would lead to an indefinite strike across the FCT.
It said it would have “no option but to direct all workers in the FCT to embark on an indefinite strike until our demands are met.”
Despite the threat, the congress said it remained open to dialogue, stressing that resolving the grievances was necessary to preserve industrial harmony and prevent further deterioration of the situation.