The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has openly criticized the National Assembly’s committees on FCT Area Councils and Ancillary Matters for their failure to address the ongoing strike by primary school teachers in the nation’s capital. The strike, which has persisted for several months, has forced thousands of pupils out of school and drawn widespread public concern.
Speaking on Thursday during an inspection tour of ongoing infrastructural projects across Abuja, Wike expressed deep frustration with the legislative bodies responsible for oversight of the area councils. He accused the committees of neglecting their responsibilities and focusing on matters unrelated to the pressing education crisis.
“But you see, the problem we have is that we have committees of the FCT in both the House of Representatives and the Senate,” Wike said. “We also have chairmen of the area councils. Their responsibility is to monitor and oversee the activities of the area councils because the legislature of the FCT today is the National Assembly.”
Wike criticized the committees for what he described as misplaced priorities. “It’s unfortunate that instead of addressing this crisis, they concentrate on summoning ministers to defend budgets. People aren’t doing what they are supposed to do—they focus on irrelevant issues that do not even fall within their jurisdiction,” he added.
The minister further expressed disappointment in the apparent lack of initiative by the leadership of the Area Councils themselves. “By now, I had expected the chairman of the FCT Area Councils to speak up and say, ‘Chairmen, this is not right. What do we need to do to solve this problem?’ But instead, they focus on trivial matters, fueling division and discord in the FCT,” he lamented.
When asked whether the Area Council chairmen had become too powerful to be held accountable, Wike rejected the notion, clarifying that while the chairmen are elected and not appointed, they are still subject to scrutiny.
“I do not know what you mean by too powerful. All I would say is that they were elected, not appointed. But denying people education is akin to sabotaging the country. It’s like staging a coup in the FCT,” he warned.
He emphasized that the prolonged denial of education to children is unacceptable and a national concern. “Education is a fundamental right. When children are forced out of school for months, it is an act of sabotage. No society should tolerate that,” Wike asserted.
Despite his evident frustration with both the National Assembly committees and the Area Council leadership, the minister provided some reassurance that efforts were underway to resolve the impasse.
“Be assured that everything is being done to ensure the teachers return to the classroom. Go home and sleep well—very soon, this problem will be resolved,” he said.
Wike reiterated the importance of education, describing it as a “basic necessity” that must be prioritized. He maintained that no responsible government could remain indifferent while teachers stayed at home and children’s futures hung in the balance.
The strike action by primary school teachers in the FCT is primarily rooted in longstanding grievances over unpaid entitlements and poor working conditions.
Although the FCT Administration has engaged in negotiations with the teachers’ union, the involvement—or lack thereof—of the Area Councils, who are directly responsible for managing primary education, has been a significant obstacle to finding a resolution.
As the situation continues to unfold, Wike’s strong comments serve as both a critique and a call to action for all stakeholders to take urgent and meaningful steps toward ending the impasse and restoring normalcy to the primary education sector in the FCT.