Workers protest, shut FCTA secretariat over welfare issues

Workers of the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) under the aegis of Joint Action Congress (JUAC) on Monday, June 30, 2025, shut the gate of the Administration’s secretariat over welfare concerns.

Some of the concerns, according to the President of the JUAC, Rifkatu Iortyer, were non-payment of overhead to run offices since December 2024, no training and retraining of staff, and no promotion.

Others are inconsistency in payment of salaries and  prolonged primary healthcare workers and teachers strike among other issues.

Iortyer acknowledged the efforts of the Minister of the FCT, Nyesom Wike, to transform the FCTA through life-impacting reforms.

She lauded Wike for facilitating the establishment of the FCT Civil Service Commission, which allows career progression to the rank of a Permanent Secretary among others.

She, however, said workers welfare had remained decimal, a development that plunged many workers into a state of despair.

The JUAC President stated: “From December last year, there was no overhead to run the offices. We go from office to office to borrow paper to work.

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“No promotion since clearing of the backlog the Wike-led administration met in August 2023. Since that time, there’s been no promotion, only appointments of Permanent Secretaries.”

Iortyer said casual workers of the Abuja Environmental Protection Board and other agencies have not been paid since December 2024.

Noting that primary schools were under the purview of the area councils, Iortyer said Wike, as the father of all, needs to intervene and address the protracted strike by the teachers.

She added that the protest would last for three days, after which if nothing was done, the workers would reconvene and decide a new course of action.

No official has come out to address the protesting workers at the time of filing this report.

The Star