The joint union of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) and the Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) has directed both primary school teachers under the Local Education Authority (LEA) and the area councils’ staff across the six area councils to, Thursday, 13, February, 2025, resume its suspended strike over non-payment of the N70,000 minimum wage by the area council chairmen.

Speaking during a joint press conference at the end of the NUT and NULGE executives meeting held at teachers’ house in Gwagwalada, on Wednesday, the chairman of the FCT NUT wing, Comrade Mohammed Shafas, said the joint unions’ decisions to resume the suspended strike was as a result of failure of the six council chairmen to implement the N70,000 minimum wage of both primary school teachers and staff of the six area councils by the council chairmen.

He said despite both primary school teachers and area councils’ staff had on December12, 2024, suspended its strike after a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between the joint unions and the six area council chairmen to commence implementation of the minimum wage from January 2025, the council chairmen ended up reneging on the agreement.

He said the six council chairmen had also failed to respond to other outstanding demands of its members, which he said included 40 per cent peculiar allowance, 25 and 35 per cent salary increments and 35 per cent wage award, among others.

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He said both the FCT NUT and the FCT NULGE deemed it necessary to notify the general public that all civil servants in the FCT have been paid their N70:000 new minimum wage except primary school teachers and staff of the six councils of the FCT.

“And it is saddening to note that all the six area council chairmen have reneged on the agreement they signed on December 9, 2024, to implement the new minimum wage by January, 2025,” the joint union said.

The joint union, however, said it was quite unfortunate that despite the office of the FCT ALGON through its chairman, Danladi Chiya, had written a letter to the congress on the issue at stake, in which they noted that a letter of irrevocable agreement between the six area council chairmen and the organised labour unions to implement minimum wage in January, 2025, the council ended up reneging.

“And it’s on this premise that the joint union of the FCT NUT and the FCT NULGE has unanimously resolved and directed all the primary school teachers and staff of the six area councils in the FCT to, with effect from Thursday, February 13, 2025, resume the suspended strike action until their demands are met,” the union declared.

The chairman of Kwali Area Council who also doubles as the FCT ALGON chairman, Danladi Chiya, did not pick calls nor reply to a text message sent to him over the matter.