The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Mr. Nyesom Wike, is set to hold a critical meeting on Thursday with key stakeholders, including the chairmen of all six FCT area councils, the leadership of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), and the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS).
According to a statement issued in Abuja on Wednesday by the NANS, the meeting is aimed at finalising arrangements and laying down effective modalities for the reopening of all public primary schools in the FCT, which have remained shut due to an ongoing industrial action by teachers.
The statement, jointly signed by NANS National President, Olushola Oladoja, and the association’s National Public Relations Officer, Adeyemi Ajasa, revealed that the association had earlier resolved to stage a mass protest on Wednesday morning at the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) Secretariat to demand urgent government intervention.
However, that planned protest was suspended following a series of high-level engagements with government and security officials. According to NANS, its leadership was invited for an emergency meeting at the headquarters of the Department of State Services (DSS), where the matter was extensively deliberated upon, with a focus on national security and the welfare of students across the territory.
The DSS engagement, the association explained, led to a follow-up strategic meeting with the Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on FCT, Hon. Muktar Betara.
During that meeting, stakeholders examined the root causes of the NUT’s industrial action and assessed the efforts made so far by the Wike-led FCT Administration to resolve the crisis.
Following these preliminary consultations, a third and decisive meeting was convened on Tuesday between the students’ body and the FCT Minister, Mr. Wike. At the meeting, the minister provided a detailed explanation of the challenges surrounding the payment of teachers’ salaries and the limitations faced by the FCTA.
Wike clarified that the FCT is the only unit within the Nigerian federation that operates under full local government autonomy. As such, the financial responsibility for paying primary school teachers falls exclusively on the area councils.
“The FCT Administration is not directly responsible for the backlog of unpaid teachers’ salaries and should not be held solely accountable for the failings of the area councils,” he reportedly said.
Nonetheless, in a show of leadership and dedication to resolving the crisis, the minister proposed a bailout plan. Under this arrangement, the FCTA offered to pay 60 percent of the outstanding salary arrears, while the remaining 40 percent would be covered by the area councils. This, he said, was to demonstrate good faith and to expedite the resolution process.
When it became clear that the area councils were failing to fulfil their part of the agreement, the minister adopted a firmer stance. He ordered the withholding of the Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) allocations due to the area councils for the months of May and June.
According to the minister, these withheld funds would be used to cover the councils’ 40 percent contribution towards clearing the backlog of salaries owed to primary school teachers.
It is expected, based on this intervention, that the withheld arrears will be ready for disbursement before the end of the week, thereby paving the way for the swift reopening of affected schools.
Following these positive developments and in recognition of the minister’s decisive actions, NANS announced the suspension of its planned protest. However, the association affirmed that it would continue to monitor the implementation of all resolutions closely to ensure accountability.
“We reaffirm our unwavering commitment to defending the rights of Nigerian students,” the association stated. “We will not relent until every child in the FCT has full access to uninterrupted education, free from the burden of government inefficiency or negligence.”