The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Barr. Nyesom Wike, has declared a strict “no work, no pay” policy for striking workers in the territory, describing the industrial action declared by the FCT chapter of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) as unwarranted and politically motivated.
Speaking on Friday after a meeting with the chairmen of the six area councils in the nation’s capital, Wike said the government would not succumb to political blackmail, insisting that all the demands raised by the union had been resolved and were being implemented.
He directed the chairmen of the six area councils to enforce the policy immediately against any teacher or civil servant who joined the strike.
“We want to state categorically and let it be known to the public: this so-called strike declaration is political, and we will not accept it. There’s no basis for anybody to call for a strike. We don’t have any issue with the local government areas, local education authorities or the primary schools,” Wike said.
The minister noted that key stakeholders in the education sector, including senior primary school teachers and the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), had distanced themselves from the action.
“The body of senior primary school teachers has said, ‘ No, we cannot be party to this strike; it is uncalled for. All the things they are talking about have been agreed and are being implemented, so why go on strike?” he said.
“The issue of promotion is ongoing, and the issue of directors is an establishment matter,” he added.
“I’ve directed the area councils to go back and call their teachers and civil servants. If anybody fails to resume, we’ll implement ‘no work, no pay’. Enough is enough; we can’t continue with this.”
Wike linked the leadership of the FCT NLC to partisan interests, alleging that its chairman, who contested an area council election under the African Democratic Congress (ADC), was attempting to destabilise the FCT ahead of the forthcoming elections.
“If you ask who the chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress is, he was an area council candidate of the ADC in the last election. You can see his interest in ensuring that the FCT is in crisis, and then he wants to use it as a political tool — that FCT teachers are at home, nobody is teaching students, so how can you go for elections when pupils are at home?
“We cannot accept that blackmail. If you want to involve yourself in politics, you are free to do so, but excuse yourself from the leadership of the union so you don’t politicise it,” Wike said.
In a related development, the minister announced a security enforcement drive targeting illegal commercial structures along the corridor between Gwagwalada and Asokoro.
He said the administration had received reports of unauthorised operators opening beer parlours and illegal motor parks along the corridor without approval.
“There are no such approvals, and we will not allow that,” he warned.
He directed the Department of Development Control, in collaboration with security agencies, to immediately clear all illegal structures to forestall security breaches in the capital.