Following the declaration of industrial action by the Federal Capital Territory (FCT)
chapter of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, has stated that his administration would implement a “no-work-no-pay” policy on any teacher who refuses to come to work.
Wike, who said this in Abuja after meeting with the six Area Councils’ Chairmen, noted that the industrial action was politically motivated and shouldn’t have been called for, because his administration is currently implementing the agreement the union reached with FCTA.
The Minister alleged that the FCT NLC Chairman, Knabayi Adalo, who declared the strike action, was the candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) during the last Area Council polls in Abuja.
He stated that his administration would not accept any kind of manipulative actions from politicians who are working hard to disrupt governance in the FCT.
He said, “no work, no pay” will be implemented in all the Area Councils as far as schools are concerned, because we have no issues with them at all, at all. And they cannot tell the public there are issues; everything was agreed, and we are implementing. So, the basis for going on strike, we cannot understand it.
“We want to state categorically and let it be known to the public: this so-called strike declaration is political, and we will not accept it. We will not accept it because there’s no basis for anybody to call for a strike.
”We don’t have any issue with either the local government area, the local education authority or the primary schools; we have no issues. And that’s why you see the body of senior primary school teachers have said no, we cannot be party to this strike, that it’s uncalled for. All the things they are talking about have been agreed and are being implemented, so why do we go on strike?
“Enough is enough; we can’t continue with this. And if you ask who is the chairman of Nigeria Labour Congress, he was a former Area Council candidate of the ADC in the last Area Council election.
“And you can see his interest in trying to see that the FCT is in crisis, and then wants to use it as a political tool: FCT teachers are at home, nobody is teaching students; how can you now go for election when the pupils are at home? We cannot accept that blackmail; we won’t accept it.”