The Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) has ordered all primary and secondary school teachers to participate in the ongoing strike initiated by the Joint Union Action Committee (JUAC).
The directive was issued in a communique released after an emergency State Wing Standing Committee meeting on Sunday at the FCT Teachers’ House in Gwagwalada. The statement, signed by Comrades Abdulahi Shafa (State Chairman), Margaret Jethro (State Secretary), and Ibukun Adekeye (State Publicity Secretary), directs teachers to join the strike effective Monday, January 26, 2026.
The communique stated:
“Having discussed extensively the organization of the strike by JUAC and the concerns of the NUT, and noting the intervention and directives of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) for all its affiliate unions in the FCT to participate and escalate the strike, the meeting resolved that all primary and secondary school teachers in the FCT should join the ongoing strike immediately from Monday, January 26, 2026.
“In pursuit of justice and to demonstrate collective resolve, all teachers should converge at the National Industrial Court (NIC) on Gimbiya Street, Area 11, Abuja, by 7:00 am for the hearing of the case instituted against JUAC.
“The union remains committed to continuous engagement with the authorities on teachers’ outstanding demands.”
The strike follows an earlier industrial action by JUAC, the umbrella body of FCTA and FCDA workers, which began on Monday, January 19, 2026, over demands for improved working conditions. While the FCTA announced that ten out of fourteen demands had been met, the remaining issues were still under review.
Lere Olayinka, Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications and Social Media to FCT Minister Nyesom Wike, noted that FCTA officials had held several meetings with union leaders over the weekend. During a January 16 meeting with JUAC leaders, all demands and interventions of the FCT Minister were discussed, and no refusal to address issues was expressed. Olayinka added that JUAC was urged to adopt dialogue to resolve pending concerns rather than declaring a strike.
Meanwhile, the National Industrial Court of Nigeria (NICN) in Abuja issued an interlocutory injunction on Thursday, January 21, 2026, restraining JUAC leaders, their agents, and members from striking, picketing, locking out, or blocking roads to disrupt FCTA operations.
The injunction followed an application by the FCT Minister and the FCTA, arguing that the proposed strike was illegal and would cripple administrative functions. Justice E. D. Subilim, presiding over the case, noted that the applicants had established a case requiring judicial intervention and adjourned the matter to Monday, January 26, 2026, for the hearing of the Motion on Notice.
Defendants, Rifkatu Iortyer and Abdullahi Umar Saleh, identified as President and Secretary of JUAC, were absent from the court proceedings. The FCTA’s legal team was led by Dr. Ogwu J. Onoja, SAN.
