Nurses and teachers in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) took to the streets on Tuesday to protest the non-implementation of the N70,000 minimum wage, unpaid allowances, and poor working conditions.
The protest, led by the National Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwives (NANNM) and the Nigerian Union of Teachers (NUT), began at the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) headquarters—Labour House—before proceeding to the FCT Minister’s Office in Garki, Abuja, where a letter of grievance was submitted to FCT administration officials.
Carrying placards with various demands, the demonstrators voiced deep frustration with what they described as persistent neglect of their welfare.
Chairman of NANNM FCT Chapter, Jama Medan, decried the state of FCT’s Primary Healthcare Centres (PHCs), stating that only around 120 nurses and midwives are managing 270 PHCs, leading to staff burnout and service breakdowns.
“Women and children are dying because the health facilities have been locked down for over a month, and nobody is saying anything about it,” Medan said.
He also alleged that N4.1 billion released by the FCT administration to clear allowance arrears was diverted by Area Council Chairmen for personal use. He called on the FCT Minister to enforce accountability and ensure immediate disbursement of the funds.
Meanwhile, FCT Minister Nyesom Wike condemned the inaction of the Area Council Chairmen, confirming that he had approved the release of funds for teacher salaries, but several council leaders failed to utilize the funds accordingly.
“I approved money to be sent to them so they could pay the teachers. I got a report just yesterday that they’ve failed to do that. I have now summoned all of them,” Wike stated.
The protesters are demanding the full implementation of the new minimum wage, payment of backlogged allowances, and significant improvements to both healthcare and education infrastructure in the FCT.
