The six Area Council chairmen in the Federal Capital Territory have agreed to forfeit 10 per cent of their internally generated revenue for the next six months to settle outstanding salaries and allowances owed to public school teachers.
The decision followed a closed-door meeting convened on Thursday by the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, with the Nigeria Union of Teachers, the National Association of Nigerian Students, and the council chairmen, aimed at resolving the over three-month-old teachers’ strike.
The meeting was held at the conference room of the minister’s official residence in Abuja.
Our source reports that the teachers were demanding the full implementation of a tripartite agreement signed on December 11, 2024, which promised a N70,000 minimum wage for teachers, the payment of 25 per cent to 35 per cent salary arrears, a 40 per cent peculiar allowance, the N35,000 wage award announced by the Federal Government, and arrears of several years’ promotion benefits.
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The Chairman of Abaji Area Council, Abubakar Abdullahi, who spoke on behalf of the chairmen after the meeting, said the crisis had been resolved.
He said the minister would withdraw 10 per cent of the area councils’ IGR for the next six months to offset the teachers’ salaries.
Abdullahi described the decision as a painful one for the chairmen but noted that they had resolved to take it in good faith.
“We just finished a meeting with the minister, the leadership of the NUT and the Area Council chairmen.
“Resolutions were passed, though it didn’t go in favour of the Area Council chairmen because our six-month IGR has been completely picked to settle this issue,” he said.
The chairman pleaded with the NUT to call off the strike, in the interest of the pupils.
“Clearly, he has stated, that by law, he has no right to take the 10 per cent IGR of area councils to clear the outstanding debt of the NUT.
“But by the special grace of God, the chairmen agreed because they wanted to have an end to this issue. We collectively agreed that that 10 per cent IGR for six months should go to the NUT,” he said.
The chairmen asked the teachers to call off the strike for the children to return to classrooms.
NANS President, Olushola Ladoja, speaking with newsmen after the meeting, said the teachers demanded 70 per cent payment of owed salaries and arrears, which the other parties agreed to and constituted a committee to look into other issues and report back in two weeks.
“During our closed-door meeting, we were able to reach an agreement, in which the NUT chairman proposed as to whether they can give them 70 per cent of the money.
“Fortunately, when they calculated the IGR, we were able to get 70 per cent of the money they were owed, which the minister said he had from the Area Council chairmen IGR and had given to them.
“He pleaded with them to call off the strike, though there were other demands. He also set up a committee which the NANS is also part of, and he gave us two weeks to come up with resolutions on those other demands,” he said.
Oladoja also commended the minister’s intervention despite the legal implications.
The FCT NUT chairman NUT, Abdullahi Shafas, said the union would convene a meeting of its state wing executive council to decide on the issues discussed at the meeting.
Nathaniel Shaibu @ThePUNCH
