Teachers in the FCT primary schools as well as workers of the six area councils have refused to call off the strike they resumed on March 24 over the non-implementation of the N70,000 new minimum wage by the councils' chairmen.
This is even after the reported approval of N4 billion by the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, for the payment of the new minimum wage to the affected workers.
The workers, under the umbrella of the FCT chapter of the Nigeria Union of Teachers and Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE), had for the fourth time in four months, embarked on strike to press for the implementation of the N70,000 minimum wage by the area council chairmen.
Last week, Abuja Metro reported that the FCT minister approved a N4 billion intervention to commence the implementation of the minimum wage for the striking workers.
But days after the approval, Abuja Metro reports that the workers were yet to call off their strike.
Meanwhile, the schools, which abandoned the second term examinations as a result of the strike, have been forced into the second term break.
The teachers are insisting that they would not go back to classes even if the third term academic season commences unless the money hits their accounts.
Abuja Metro also observed that the gates to the area council secretariats were still under lock and key.
In most of the area councils visited, the premises were deserted with only security guards seen at the main entrances of the secretariats.
Some of the teachers, who spoke with our reporter, said they would not resume classes until their new minimum wage was paid by the six area council chairmen.
The teachers said though they were aware that the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, had approved N4 billion for the payment of the minimum wage, they were yet to receive the money.
A teacher, Muazu Ibrahim, said "I am aware that the minister approved N4 billion since last Wednesday but I am yet to receive the alert and we will only be talking of resumption when we all get the alert," he said.
Also, a staff of Kuje Area Council, Solomon Bako, who spoke with our reporter, said the union would not call off the strike until workers see their salary alert reflecting the new minimum wage.
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"No area council staff will resume work until he/she receives the new minimum wage. Even though we heard that the minister had approved N4 billion, we have yet to see the money since last week," he said.
Our reporter, however, gathered that the delay in releasing the funds was due to the absence of the minister, who was said to have been out of the country.
An official of the Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) in the FCT, who preferred anonymity, said the non-resumption of the workers was due to the delay in releasing the N4 billion approved by the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike.
"The unions are still waiting for the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, to return from abroad and release the money. If the money is not released, the strike action will continue because we don't trust the area council chairmen anymore," he said.
It would be recalled that both primary school teachers and area council workers have been on strike since March 24, 2025, over the non-implementation of the N70,000 new minimum wage by the council chairmen.
