Tension heightened in Abuja on Monday as striking workers of the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA), backed by organised labour, intensified calls for the removal of the Minister of the FCT, Nyesom Wike, ahead of today’s ruling by the National Industrial Court of Nigeria (NICN).
The workers, under the Joint Union Action Committee (JUAC) and supported by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), picketed the Industrial Court premises, carrying placards openly demanding Wike’s sack over what they described as persistent abuse of workers’ rights, non-payment of entitlements and disregard for civil service rules.
Chants of “Wike must go!” dominated the protest, alongside messages such as “Pay our promotion arrears”, “Pay our pensions now” and “Respect civil service rules”, as labour unions accused the FCT minister of intimidation and failure to address core welfare issues.
The protest coincided with court proceedings in a suit filed by Wike and the FCT Administration, seeking an injunction to restrain JUAC leaders from continuing the ongoing strike that has paralysed major FCTA offices in Abuja.
Although the FCTA management claimed that most of the workers’ demands had been met, the unions dismissed the claim, insisting that unresolved grievances under Wike’s leadership triggered the industrial action.
At the hearing, workers’ counsel, Maxwell Opara, urged the court to reject the application and instead refer the matter to mediation, arguing that compelling unpaid and aggrieved workers to return to duty would be counterproductive. He maintained that repeated efforts to engage the minister had failed, making his continued stay in office untenable.
Organised labour also faulted Wike for resorting to litigation rather than dialogue, insisting that his removal had become necessary to restore industrial harmony in the FCT.
The court, presided over by Justice E.D. Subilim, has fixed today (Tuesday) for ruling, as pressure mounts on the Federal Government to respond to labour’s demand for Wike’s removal amid the deepening strike.
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