The Nigeria Union of Teachers, FCT Chapter has agreed to consider terminating a five-day warning strike launched to push home their demands for improved security in schools and payment of backlog of promotion arrears owed them since 2016.
Since the abduction of four University of Abuja staff members and two of their family members by gunmen earlier this month, the union had written to the administration, requesting that all primary and secondary schools in the nation’s capital be better secured.
Mr. Stephen Knabai, Chairman, Nigerian Union of Teachers, FCT Chapter, said the union’s leadership was pleased with the minister of the federal capital territory, Malam Muhammad Musa Bello, who summoned the meeting and assured that all demands would be met.
He thus revealed that, while the strike has not yet been called off, the union’s leadership will meet and consult in the hopes of returning to the classrooms as soon as possible.
Mr. Olusade, the FCT Permanent Secretary, who spoke on behalf of the FCT Administration, stated that the problem of security highlighted by the teachers had been thoroughly handled.
He went on to say that the administration assured teachers, particularly those in secondary schools, that they would receive their outstanding allowances for 2017 and likely 2018 before the end of the year, adding that the 2016 allowance arrears had been paid, and that the FCT Administrations would meet with the chairmen of the six area councils to discuss the need to pay the outstanding entitlements of teachers in the six area councils.
Teachers are anticipated to make a decision on whether or not to suspend the warning strike by the end of today.
