The Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) has suspended the strike action it began in March 2025, directing all primary school teachers to return to classrooms on Wednesday, July 9.
The decision followed an emergency State Wing Executive Council (SWEC) meeting held in Abuja on Tuesday. According to a communiqué issued after the meeting, the union resolved to suspend the strike “consequent upon the implementation of the new minimum wage and payment of five months arrears into the teachers’ accounts today, 8th July 2025.”
The NUT stated that the resumption order was a result of interventions from the Honourable Minister of the FCT and the release of ₦16 billion in accrued Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) from the area councils. The funds were allocated to support the payment of June salaries under the new minimum wage structure and cover 60% of nine months arrears.
The union said: “Following the ongoing Strike Action by the Primary School Teachers in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) from the 24th of March 2025 and consequent upon the intervention of the Honourable Minister of FCT on Thursday 3rd July 2025, the State Wing Executive Council (SWEC) of the Union held an emergency session on Friday 4th July 2025 to deliberate on the offer made by the Honourable Minister and to review the strike action.”
The SWEC-in-Session, while lamenting what it described as the “insensitivity and lack of commitment of the Primary School Education stakeholders in the FCT,” expressed appreciation for the Honourable Minister’s stakeholder meeting, which brought together key players including the Chairman of the House Committee on FCT, Area Council representatives, the FCT Head of Service, FCT Treasury Permanent Secretary, and NUT executives.
The communiqué added: “The SWEC In Session noted that the Honourable Minister reiterated the payment of FCT primary school teachers’ salaries as the responsibility of the Area Councils but emphasised the inadequacy of their allocation to cater for the payment and therefore offered the following: 1) The release of the Area Councils’ six months 10% FCT accrued Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) amounting to ₦16 billion to augment for the payment of the new minimum wage for June and 60% of its nine months arrears.”
In addition to the payment, the union said it would constitute a special committee within two weeks to harmonise all outstanding arrears and map out a strategy for permanent settlement.
“Having deliberated exhaustively on the aforementioned offers, including the positive disposition of the Honourable Minister for the taking over the payment of the primary school teachers’ emoluments by the FCTA, the SWEC-In-Session resolved to suspend the Strike action on the release of the ₦16 billion and its payment to the teachers’ accounts.”
“Consequent upon the implementation of the New Minimum Wage and payment of five months arrears into the teachers’ accounts today, 8th July 2025, the SWEC hereby suspends the ongoing strike action and appeals to all primary school teachers in FCT to, with effect from Wednesday, 9th July 2025, return to the classrooms and continue with their legitimate duties while the union intensifies more efforts to ensure the settlement of the remaining entitlements.”
The union also expressed gratitude to its members for their resilience and to external stakeholders who supported the cause during the industrial action.
“Our special thanks go to the FCT royal fathers, Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), and other well-meaning individuals who, in one way or the other, intervened and stood by us during the strike,” it read.
