The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Council of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has declared an indefinite strike in Abuja over unresolved disputes surrounding the promotion and career progression of teachers.
The industrial action begins on Wednesday, October 7, 2026, following the expiration of a seven-day ultimatum issued to the FCT Administration (FCTA).
The NLC had issued the ultimatum on September 8, demanding the resolution of longstanding welfare and career-related concerns affecting teachers across the FCT, The News Edition reports.
In a communique signed by the NLC FCT Council Chairman, Comrade Knabayi S. Adalo, the union rejected the FCTA’s response, describing it as “ambiguous, dismissive and totally unacceptable.”
Why Teachers Are on Strike
At the centre of the dispute is the FCTA’s implementation of what the NLC described as a “vacancy clause”, which makes the promotion of teachers dependent on the availability of vacancies.
The NLC argued that teachers are recruited specifically by the FCT Universal Basic Education Board (FCT-UBEB) and the FCT Secondary Education Board (FCT-SEB) to perform teaching duties.
According to the union, this makes teachers different from core civil servants or pool officers to whom vacancy-based promotion arrangements may apply.
The NLC maintained that applying the vacancy clause to teachers has resulted in prolonged career stagnation and contributed to low morale among educators.
The union is therefore demanding a resolution of the promotion and career progression issues before calling off the strike.
The indefinite industrial action is expected to affect teaching activities across schools in the Federal Capital Territory from Wednesday.