Workers of the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) and the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA) on Monday commenced an indefinite strike, shutting down government offices across Abuja.
The industrial action led to the closure of key administrative offices, including the FCTA Secretariat, as workers stayed away from duty in compliance with the strike directive, Vanguard newspaper reported.
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Security operatives were deployed to affected offices early in the day, while members of the public seeking official services were turned back at the gates.
The strike was directed by the Joint Union Action Congress (JUAC), which represents workers across various departments of the FCT public service. The directive followed the expiration of an ultimatum issued to the FCTA management over unresolved labour and welfare concerns.
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Unresolved welfare issues
In a statement signed by its president, Rifkatu Lortyer, and secretary, Abdullahi Saleh, JUAC accused the FCTA authorities of failing to respond to its demands.
The union said workers were ordered to withdraw their services after management “failed to address long-standing labour and welfare issues,” despite repeated notices.
Among the grievances listed are the non-payment of promotion arrears, delays in career progression, and the alleged non-remittance of pension and National Housing Fund contributions, which the union warned could “jeopardise the future welfare of affected staff.”
The unions also raised concerns over the conduct and outcome of the 2024 promotion examinations, describing the exercise as largely unsuccessful and alleging that many workers were unfairly affected.
JUAC further criticised what it described as the continued extension of service for retired directors and permanent secretaries, noting that the practice was “blocking the career progression of serving officers.”
Ahead of the strike, the unions had circulated a notice titled “Code Remain at Home,” urging workers to comply fully with the action.
“All staff are advised to stay at home as the strike action declared by JUAC commences on Monday,” the statement read in part, adding that a task force would be deployed “to ensure full compliance.”
The union leadership urged members to remain resolute, punctuating the notice with solidarity slogans such as “Aluta Continua! Victoria Acerta!” and “Enough is enough!”
JUAC maintained that the industrial action would continue until its demands are met.
Earlier labour actions
This is not the first time workers under the JUAC have protested over labour and welfare concerns since the beginning of the Wike administration in the FCT.
In June 2025, PREMIUM TIMES reported that the workers staged a protest and shut the gates of the FCTA Secretariat to press complaints about poor working conditions and delayed promotions.
The President of the union, Rifkatu Lortyer, at the time cited issues such as stalled promotions, non-payment of overhead funds for office operations since December 2024, no training and retraining of staff, and inconsistent salary payments.
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Following the action, the union issued a 21-day ultimatum to the administration after temporarily suspending a protest.
After the expiration of the ultimatum in July, the union said most of its core demands remained unmet as negotiations stall, despite partial concessions, such as payment of arrears for enforcement officers; release of a promotion schedule, with plans for staff who were due for promotion in 2023 to take examinations later in the year; and approval of at least two months’ overhead costs to support office operations.
According to reports, officials and staff were absent from their duty posts, effectively grounding routine government operations under the FCTA and FCDA regarding the declaration of the current strike.
Efforts to reach the union’s president, Rifkatu Lortyer, through phone calls, text messages and WhatsApp messages were unsuccessful.
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