Wike To Meet Stakeholders Over Reopening Of FCT Primary Schools

Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Nyesom Wike, is scheduled to meet on Thursday with chairmen of the FCT area councils, the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), and the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) to discuss the reopening of public primary schools across the territory.

The meeting was confirmed in a joint statement released on Wednesday in Abuja by NANS President, Olushola Oladoja, and the group’s Public Relations Officer, Adeyemi Ajasa.

NANS revealed it had initially planned a mass protest at the FCT Administration Secretariat on Wednesday to demand action over the prolonged strike by primary school teachers. However, the protest was suspended following a high-level meeting between NANS executives and the Department of State Services (DSS).

The student body said the closed-door engagement led to further strategic discussions, including a session with Muktar Betara, Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on FCT. These talks, NANS noted, provided deeper insight into the root causes of the teachers’ strike and the response so far from the FCT Administration.

A follow-up meeting was later held with Minister Wike, during which he explained that the FCT operates under full local government autonomy meaning salary payments, including those of primary school teachers, fall squarely under the area councils’ responsibilities.

“FCTA is not directly responsible for the backlog of teachers’ salaries and should not be solely blamed for the councils’ shortcomings,” NANS quoted Wike as saying.

In an effort to resolve the crisis, Wike reportedly proposed a bailout arrangement: the FCT Administration would cover 60% of the outstanding teacher salaries, while area councils were expected to pay the remaining 40%.

However, after the area councils failed to fulfill their portion of the deal, Wike responded by withholding their Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) for May and June, aiming to redirect the funds to settle the councils’ 40% contribution.

NANS noted that the withheld funds are expected to be released before the end of the week to facilitate payment and speed up the reopening of schools.

In light of these developments, the association said it had called off the planned protest but would continue to monitor the situation closely.

“We remain committed to protecting the rights of Nigerian students and ensuring no child is denied access to education due to government inaction,” NANS stated.