The industrial action by workers of the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) continued on Tuesday as the Joint Union Action Congress (JUAC) rejected claims by the FCTA management that most of the workers’ demands had been resolved.
Workers commenced an indefinite strike on Monday, citing the failure of the authorities to address labour and welfare concerns.
In response, the FCTA, through Lere Olayinka, Senior Special Assistant to the FCT Minister on Public Communications and Social Media, said 10 of the 14 demands presented by the unions had been met, while work was ongoing on the remaining four.
JUAC, in a statement signed by Abdullahi Saleh, its secretary, disputed the claim, stating that no formal agreement had been reached between the union and the FCTA on any of the issues raised.
The union said none of its demands had been conclusively implemented or independently verified.
The union denied that issues such as payment of wage awards, rural allowances, 2023 promotion arrears and compliance with public service rules had been resolved.
It added that the strike had not been suspended or relaxed and urged workers to remain united until all demands were implemented.
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JUAC also distanced itself from statements attributed to the Association of Resident Doctors (ARD-FCTA), which had written to Nyesom Wike. Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, acknowledging the payment of 13 months’ hazard allowance arrears and one month wage award.
According to JUAC, the position of the resident doctors does not represent the collective stance of workers under its umbrella.
The union listed unresolved issues to include unpaid promotion arrears, non-remittance of National Housing Fund (NHF) and pension deductions, alleged tenure elongation of directors and permanent secretaries, concerns over the promotion examination process, staff intimidation, limited training opportunities and salary portal restrictions.
JUAC also opposed moves by the FCTA to transfer responsibility for statutory deductions to workers, saying the move was contrary to public service financial regulations.
JUAC maintained that the strike followed due process, including the expiration of a seven-day ultimatum, and said it remained open to dialogue.
The FCTA, however, maintained that progress had been made. Olayinka said the Minister held several meetings with union leaders and expressed willingness to address the demands.
He said payment of the five months’ wage award had commenced, while the 13 months’ hazard allowance and 22 months’ rural allowance for health workers had been paid.
According to the FCTA, outstanding 2023 promotion arrears amounting to over ₦286 million, covering 724 officers across 24 Secretariats, Departments and Agencies (SDAs), were approved in December 2025 and are being processed for payment.
The administration added that issues relating to tenure elongation had been addressed, with assurances of compliance with public service rules.
On training, the FCTA said all SDAs had been directed to submit training needs, while a committee comprising workers had been set up to address NHF and pension deduction issues.
The administration also advised unions to await the official release of promotion examination results.
The FCTA noted that some unions, including the Law Officers Association of Nigeria, had dissociated themselves from the strike and called on security agencies to allow workers who chose not to participate in the action to access their offices.
The administration said the strike was unnecessary, given the steps taken to address the demands. JUAC, however, said the strike would continue until all demands were implemented.
