The Resource Centre for Human Rights and Civic Education (CHRICED) expresses profound outrage at the continued strike action by workers across the six Area Councils of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), which has persisted since 24 March 2025, now entering its fourth month.
The strike stems from the outright failure of the Area Council Chairmen to implement the tripartite agreement of December 2024, which mandated the payment of the ₦70,000 minimum wage and the clearance of long-standing salary arrears.
The refusal to honour this agreement amounts to a betrayal of public trust and a blatant violation of workers’ rights.
As a result of this impasse, 607 public primary schools and 239 Primary Healthcare Centres (PHCs) in the FCT have remained closed.
This dereliction of governance has plunged the FCT’s most vulnerable populations, children, pregnant women, the elderly, and the poor-into a state of crisis.
In a country where 10.2 million children are already out of school and with a maternal mortality rate of 512 deaths per 100,000 live births, the implications are catastrophic.
It is unconscionable that while the children of political elites continue to attend private schools or study abroad, and their families access premium healthcare or travel for medical treatment, ordinary residents are left without the most basic public services.
CHRICED is particularly disturbed by the claims of FCT Minister Nyesom Wike, who has sought to wash his hands off the crisis by stating that Area Councils are outside his purview.
This is a disingenuous deflection. As Minister of the FCT, Wike is not just a political appointee; he is the de facto Governor of the territory with statutory oversight responsibilities under the FCT Act and the 1999 Constitution. His refusal to act decisively reveals a gross abdication of duty.
Moreover, the Minister’s claim of having released funds to the Area Councils must be subjected to public scrutiny. How much was released? When? What accountability mechanisms are in place to ensure the funds are applied for the intended purpose of settling workers’ dues?
The continued opacity around these disbursements raises serious red flags about transparency and governance within the FCT Administration.
While President Bola Ahmed Tinubu recently lauded the infrastructural efforts of the FCT Minister as “unmatched,” CHRICED reminds the President and all Nigerians that no infrastructure can thrive in a context of educational collapse and healthcare dysfunction. Roads, bridges, and buildings cannot substitute for functional schools and clinics.
CHRICED hereby issues a 7-day ultimatum to Minister Wike to:
Immediately convene a high-level emergency meeting with the six Area Council Chairmen and relevant labour unions;
Disclose the exact amount released to the councils and publish details of the utilization framework;
Take full responsibility for resolving the strike and restoring essential services within the stipulated timeframe.
Failure to take these actions within seven days should compel Minister Wike to resign from office in honour and shame.
Equally, the six Area Council Chairmen must be held accountable for this shameful episode. Their continued silence and inaction are proof of their failure to deliver governance and service to the grassroots. They must be compelled to implement the agreed minimum wage without further delay.
CHRICED also condemns the deafening silence of the FCT’s representative in the Senate, Senator Ireti Kingibe, who has failed to speak out or intervene meaningfully in this crisis.
A representative who cannot defend the welfare of her constituents in times of crisis is derelict in her legislative mandate.
We further call on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to intervene directly and break this impasse. The continued shutdown of schools and health facilities in the seat of Nigeria’s government is an international embarrassment and a betrayal of the Renewed Hope Agenda.
Finally, we call on civil society organizations, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), professional associations, traditional institutions, and community leaders to rise in solidarity with the people of the FCT.
The right to education and healthcare is not a privilege; it is a constitutional guarantee and must be defended by all means necessary.
Enough is enough. The time to act is now!
