“Wike must go”: FCTA workers storm Industrial Court

Workers of the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA), supported by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), on Monday staged a protest at the National Industrial Court in Abuja, intensifying their ongoing indefinite strike over lingering employment-related grievances.

The demonstration came after the NLC issued a directive endorsing the industrial action, insisting that the workers’ demands were legitimate. The labour centre accused the FCTA leadership of repeatedly breaching workers’ rights and failing to honour agreements reached with staff unions.

Carrying placards with messages such as “Pay our promotion arrears”, “Enough is enough”, “No tools, no work” and “Wike must go”, the protesters chanted solidarity songs as they marched around the court premises, demanding urgent intervention.

The strike, which has disrupted several administrative activities in the Federal Capital Territory, centres on unpaid promotion arrears, inadequate working tools, and what unions describe as hostile labour relations within the administration.

The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, had  approached the National Industrial Court to challenge the legality of the strike. According to the administration, the industrial action violated established labour procedures, including failure to exhaust dispute-resolution mechanisms before embarking on a total shutdown.

The FCTA leadership also argued that the strike posed a serious threat to public order and essential services in the nation’s capital. Officials maintained that seeking judicial interpretation was necessary to safeguard governance continuity and prevent what they described as an attempt to hold the city to ransom through prolonged industrial action.