Abuja, September 2024 – HipCity Innovation Centre (HipCity Hub), a leading research, development, and advocacy organization, expresses its deep concern over the ongoing strike by primary school teachers in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). The strike, which began on September 18, 2024, stems from unresolved welfare issues between the teachers and the six area councils in the FCT. This follows a series of previous strikes that were temporarily halted but ultimately left unresolved, leading to further disruption of educational activities in the nation’s capital.
The Federal Capital Territory Wing of the Nigerian Union of Teachers (NUT) resumed the strike due to the non-payment of 60% of the 25-month-old minimum wage arrears, along with other outstanding entitlements. Despite previous interventions, where only partial payments were made, the teachers’ demands remain largely unmet. Consequently, public primary schools across the FCT have remained closed, depriving thousands of students of crucial learning opportunities.
HipCity is alarmed by the recurring nature of these strikes, which have become a persistent issue in the FCT’s education sector. These disruptions are not only detrimental to the academic progress of the affected children but also threaten the broader development goals of the nation. Prolonged school closures widen learning gaps and increase the risk of student dropouts, particularly among children for whom education is the only pathway out of poverty. Every missed day of school pushes these children further away from a hopeful future.
We are especially concerned about the apparent neglect by the Area Council Chairmen, who have failed to prioritize education. Their refusal to allocate sufficient funds to public primary education, while they and their numerous appointees continue to receive their own salaries and entitlements, is both unjust and irresponsible. HipCity’s assessments of FCT primary schools have revealed shocking infrastructural decay, with many pupils forced to learn in deplorable conditions. This neglect is a grave disservice to the teachers, students, and communities that rely on public education.
The continued failure of the Area Councils and the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) to meet their obligations to teachers is unacceptable. As the nation’s capital, the FCT should be a model for other states, yet teachers in this region are forced to strike in order to be heard. This reflects a broader systemic failure to prioritize education.
HipCity Hub calls on the following:
1. The Federal Capital Territory Administration – to urgently intervene and ensure the immediate payment of all outstanding wage arrears and entitlements owed to FCT teachers.
2. Area Councils – to prioritize the welfare of teachers, allocate sufficient resources to the education sector, and proactively address underlying issues to prevent future strikes. Teachers deserve to be treated with respect and dignity.
3. The FCT Minister – to take decisive action to enhance transparency and accountability in the allocation of funds, ensuring that education receives the investment it requires.
4. The FCTA Education Secretariat – to develop and implement long-term strategies for sustainable education funding and improved working conditions for teachers.
The education of every Nigerian child must be safeguarded at all costs. We urge the Federal Government, the Area Councils, and the FCT authorities to act swiftly in resolving this crisis. Our children cannot afford to lose any more valuable learning time, and we cannot risk an increase in the number of out-of-school children.
For media inquiries, please contact: info.hipcityhub@gmail.com, 07034520685
Signed
Bassey Bassey
Executive Director,
HipCity Innovation Centre
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About HipCity:
HipCity Innovation Centre, is a research, development and advocacy organization, with a focus to support everyone especially youths have the right mind-set to create wealth through skills, coexist, value human rights, respect the rule of law, realize their full potential, and meaningfully become tools for positive sustainable development.
