Workers under JUAC on Monday commenced an industrial strike, shutting down offices of the FCTA and the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA) across Abuja.
The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has said it has met 10 of the 14 demands presented by workers under the Joint Union Action Congress (JUAC), describing the ongoing industrial action as "unnecessary and ill-motivated."
The administration stated this in a press release issued on Monday by the Senior Special Assistant to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory on Public Communications and Social Media, Lere Olayinka.
Mr Olayinka said the remaining four demands were already being addressed through dialogue and administrative processes.
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PREMIUM TIMES had earlier reported that JUAC workers commenced an industrial strike on Monday, shutting down the offices of the FCTA and the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA) across Abuja.
The strike disrupted activities across several secretariats and departments, with workers barricading office entrances and preventing staff and members of the public from entering.
The industrial action followed an earlier notice issued by the unions on Friday, announcing plans to shut down government offices across the FCT and its area councils over what they described as the failure of the FCTA to fully address welfare issues, including unpaid allowances, promotion arrears and other conditions of service.
However, Mr Olayinka said the administration had made significant progress in resolving the issues raised and that the strike was not justified.
Meetings with union leaders
Mr Olayinka said top officials of the administration had held several meetings with JUAC leaders, including meetings over the weekend.
According to him, at a meeting held on 16 January, union leaders were briefed on interventions already approved by the FCT minister, Nyesom Wike.
"At no point did the minister express unwillingness to address any of the demands raised by the unions," he said.
He added that union leaders were urged to continue dialogue, as the unresolved issues were not severe enough to warrant a strike.
Allowances and wage awards
Mr Olayinka said the payment of an outstanding five-month wage award, one of the workers' key demands, had already commenced.
He also said 13 months' hazard allowance and 22 months' rural allowance owed to health workers had been fully paid.
"The outstanding 13 months' hazard allowance and 22 months' rural allowance for health workers have been fully paid," he said.
He added that the Association of Resident Doctors, Federal Capital Territory (ARD-FCTA) had written to the minister to appreciate him for approving the payment of hazard allowance arrears and a one-month wage award.
Promotion arrears
On promotion arrears, Mr Olayinka said N286.1 million in arrears, covering 724 officers across 24 secretariats, departments and agencies (SDAs), was approved by the minister in December and is currently being processed for payment.
He also said complaints about the elongation of tenure of retired directors and permanent secretaries had been addressed, with assurances that public service rules would be strictly complied with.
Training, promotion exams
Addressing concerns over staff training, the FCTA said all SDAs had been directed to submit their training needs to the permanent secretary for onward transmission to the Office of the Head of Service.
On allegations of non-remittance of National Housing Fund and pension deductions since May 2025, Mr Olayinka said the issue was not directly under the control of the FCTA management.
"A committee comprising the workers themselves has been constituted to holistically address issues relating to deductions and remittances," he said.
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The administration also dismissed the unions' claim that only 22.5 per cent of candidates passed the 2024 promotion examinations.
"The figures presented by JUAC have no official backing," Mr Olayinka said, adding that union leaders had been advised to await the formal release of the results as directed by the minister.
He said concerns over overstaying overseeing directors had already been addressed through the conduct of the 2023 promotion exercise and would be conclusively resolved with the release of the 2024 promotion results by the FCT Civil Service Commission.
"From all indications, and considering the efforts already made by the minister in acceding to almost all the demands, the strike action embarked upon by JUAC is unnecessary, ill-motivated and aimed at purposes other than the welfare of workers," the statement said.
The administration added that it had called on security agencies to ensure that workers who chose not to participate in the strike were allowed unhindered access to carry out their lawful duties.
