The teachers gathered outside the institution, carrying placards and demanding the immediate conclusion of the 2024 promotion exercise.
Scores of teachers under the aegis of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Wing, on Monday staged a protest at the Open University, Dutse-Alhaji, along the Kubwa Expressway in Abuja, over prolonged delays in their promotions and career progression.
The aggrieved teachers expressed frustration over what they described as bureaucratic bottlenecks preventing their advancement.
The teachers gathered outside the institution, carrying placards and demanding the immediate conclusion of the 2024 promotion exercise.
The protesters rejected the “vacancy rule,” which they said civil service authorities had used to deny them career progression despite meeting the required promotion criteria and passing the qualifying examinations.
One of the placards read, “Complete the 2024 promotion exercise now,” while others carried messages such as “Teachers are not pool staff” and “Our services count, not empty chairs.”
According to union leaders, hundreds of qualified teachers have remained on the same grade level for years due to delays in the promotion process, a situation they said has severely affected morale across public schools in the Federal Capital Territory.
The NUT FCT Wing is demanding the immediate release of all outstanding 2024 promotion letters, full financial implementation of the promotions, and payment of all outstanding entitlements.
The teachers vowed to sustain the picketing and withdraw their services until the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) and the relevant civil service authorities address their demands.