FCT Schools Reopen After Teachers Suspend Strike

Pupils and students in Federal Capital Territory (FCT) public schools have started returning to classrooms after teachers suspended their strike on Wednesday, October 21, 2026.

Naija News understands that teachers resumed lessons across parts of Abaji, Gwagwalada, Bwari and Kuje area councils following a directive from the FCT Council of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) to suspend the industrial action.

The strike was suspended after consultations and reconciliation meetings between labour leaders and the FCT Administration over the issues that led to the industrial action.

The NLC said the resolutions reached included provisions for the promotion of education officers, with vacancies to be determined by the establishment positions declared by the Education Secretariat.

The union also said the FCT Civil Service Commission would be informed of the Executive Council’s approval of the 2025 promotion examination, after which a new date would be announced for eligible candidates.

Daily Trust reported that checks on Wednesday showed that teachers had returned to work, although many pupils and students were yet to resume fully.

At Pilot Science Primary School in Abaji, teachers were reportedly seen conducting lessons despite the low turnout.

A teacher, Shuaibu Musa, said he returned to school after receiving a resumption directive from the FCT wing of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) late on Tuesday.

The school’s head teacher, Alhaji Salihu Jibrin, said he received the information through the teachers’ union platform and contacted other staff members to prepare for resumption.

Jibrin disclosed that more than 300 pupils had returned by Wednesday and expressed hope that attendance would improve before the end of the week.

He praised the FCT NUT leadership, led by Comrade Abdullahi Mohammed Shafas, for its efforts to protect teachers’ welfare.

The head teacher also commended FCT Minister Nyesom Wike for paying some outstanding arrears owed to teachers, but urged the administration to continue addressing their welfare concerns.

At Government Junior Secondary School, Naharati, also in Abaji, teachers and a few students had returned to the classrooms.

One of the teachers, Gabriel Moses, said he learnt about the resumption directive around 11:12 p.m. on Tuesday and prepared to return to work the following morning.

He called on the FCT Administration to honour its agreements with the unions to prevent another disruption of academic activities.

Similar situations were recorded at Demonstration Primary School and Government Day Secondary School in Gwagwalada, where lessons had resumed despite low attendance.

Pupils were also seen receiving lessons at LEA Primary Schools in Gwako and Zuba, both in Gwagwalada Area Council.

However, some teachers expressed dissatisfaction with the outcome of the discussions, particularly over the requirement for available vacancies before teachers can be promoted.

One teacher said the FCT Minister should have addressed the issue directly, especially the labour unions’ demand for a review of the vacancy requirement.

The teacher described the failure to resolve the matter as disappointing, despite the suspension of the strike.

At LEA Primary School in Chibiri community, Kuje Area Council, a few teachers and pupils were also seen in their classrooms.

Meanwhile, the chairman of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), Kubwa chapter, Comrade Ameh Baba, said teachers had returned immediately because they could not afford to waste more time after the disruption.

Baba warned that recovering the two weeks lost to the strike would be a challenge and said the union would consider available options, including extending the school calendar by two weeks.

He described the strike as unfortunate, arguing that the dispute could have been resolved earlier if the government had acted more quickly.

“The strike was supposed to have been called off since Monday, but unfortunately, those at the helm of affairs on the government side played with the matter, thereby creating more problems rather than solving the initial ones,” he said.

Baba also alleged that the government’s threat to issue queries to teachers worsened the dispute and prompted a response from the NLC.

He urged the FCT Administration to fulfil its outstanding commitments to teachers, claiming that about 70 per cent of the promises remained unfulfilled.