NLC, FCTA Workers Storm Industrial Court, Demand Wike’s Removal Amid Indefinite Strike
Workers of the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) on Monday moved their ongoing protest to the National Industrial Court in Abuja, intensifying a labour dispute that has effectively paralysed official activities across the nation’s capital.
PulseNets learnt that the demonstration, which formed part of a total and indefinite strike by FCTA workers, received full backing from the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), which formally aligned itself with the action.
Union leaders explained that relocating the protest to the court premises was a deliberate strategy to attract national attention to what they described as years of neglect, broken promises, and unfair treatment of FCTA staff.
From the early hours of the day, protesters converged on the National Industrial Court complex, chanting solidarity songs and brandishing placards carrying strongly worded messages. Some of the placards read “Wike must step aside,” “Abuja is not Rivers State,” “Settle our promotion arrears,” “We have had enough,” and “No tools, no work.”
Labour leaders accused the FCTA management of repeatedly failing to honour agreements reached with workers, particularly on the payment of promotion arrears, provision of essential working tools, and improvement of overall staff welfare. According to union officials who spoke to PulseNets, several rounds of dialogue and formal warnings were ignored, leaving workers with no alternative but to embark on an indefinite strike.
The Nigeria Labour Congress described the industrial action as lawful and unavoidable. The union maintained that the strike was triggered by persistent violations of workers’ rights and what it characterised as a dismissive attitude by the political leadership of the FCTA toward staff concerns.
Protesters also demanded the removal of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, accusing him of administering the FCT in a manner that marginalises workers’ interests. One union official told PulseNets that “Abuja operates under a distinct administrative framework and cannot be run with a command-and-control style that ignores workers’ voices.”
Activities around the National Industrial Court were significantly disrupted as security operatives monitored the situation. Court workers and members of the public were seen keeping away from the premises, while scheduled proceedings were affected by the protest.
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Union leaders, however, warned that the strike would remain in force until all demands are fully addressed. They stressed that workers would not return to their duty posts without concrete commitments and clear timelines for implementing agreed resolutions.
Recall that labour unions had, in recent weeks, issued multiple warnings to the FCTA over unpaid entitlements and poor working conditions. Those warnings, PulseNets reported, included threats of widespread industrial action should the issues remain unresolved.
