By Ikugbadi Oluwasegun
Civil servants across the six area councils of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) have taken to the streets in protest, voicing their deep dissatisfaction over the non-implementation of the recently approved ₦70,000 minimum wage.
The demonstration, which saw participation from hundreds of disgruntled workers, including primary school teachers, administrative personnel, and local government staff—was fueled by not only the failure to implement the new wage structure but also the accumulation of unpaid salary arrears dating back several months.The protesting workers accused the FCT Minister , Nyesom Wike of reneging on previously negotiated agreements, citing a consistent pattern of unfulfilled promises and a lack of accountability.
Despite receiving repeated assurances from both local authorities and the FCT Minister, the workers claim that meaningful action has yet to be taken. Several ultimatums and warning strikes have passed without resolution, further eroding trust between the workforce and the area council leadership.
As tensions escalate, the unions representing these workers have made it clear that unless their demands are met in full, including the immediate payment of all outstanding arrears and the full enforcement of the new minimum wage, industrial actions will not only continue but may intensify in the coming weeks. They stressed that their patience is wearing thin and called for urgent intervention from higher levels of government to resolve the impasse and restore normalcy to the affected councils.
