The escalating crisis within the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has exposed serious governance failures with direct and devastating consequences for public education.

Development Diaries reports that some staff of the FCTA have staged a protest in front of the FCTA headquarters in Area 11, Abuja.

It is understood that the group, under the aegis of Joint Union Action Committee were seen holding placards with inscriptions such as ‘non- payment of AEPB enforcement squad’, inaccessibility if the salary portal to salary desk officers’, ‘withheld salaries and allowances of workers for over 6 months’, amongst others.

Recall also that elementary school teachers in Nigeria’s capital have been on a strike which is dragging into its fourth month, as workers demand to be paid the minimum wage enacted almost a year ago but yet to be implemented.

The ongoing strike by elementary school teachers, have effectively shut down over 400 schools in Abuja, leaving more than 50,000 children without access to learning.

Even more worrisome is the fact that the industrial action has crippled primary healthcare services throughout the terrirtory in addition to the education sector.

Employees have abandoned the six area council secretariats, teachers are staying home, and primary healthcare facilities have also stayed locked.

At a time when Nigeria grapples with one of the world’s highest out-of-school children rates, the situation in the nation’s capital is an alarming contradiction to national and global education commitments.

The impact on education is especially alarming. With over 400 schools closed and more than 50,000 pupils out of class due to the teachers’ strike, the right to education for thousands of children in the FCT  is being eroded.

It is equally disturbing that the salary portal remains inaccessible to salary desk officers. Training and retraining of staff have been suspended, and staff promotions due since 2023 are still pending.

These conditions can lead to demotivation for workers and also compromise service delivery across departments in the capital.

The demand for structural changes, including the domestication of IPPIS and the removal of overseeing directors, indicates a system in need of urgent reform.

When civil servants are subjected to illegal deductions and left without entitlements for months, the ripple effect on governance, accountability, and productivity cannot be overstated.

Development Diaries calls on President Bola Tinubu and the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike to act swiftly to address these festering issues.

It is not enough to sign wage increases into law without ensuring their implementation across all levels of government.

Furthermore, this is not just about unpaid salaries, it is about upholding the rights of workers, protecting children’s access to education, and restoring public trust in government.

We also call on all six FCT council chairmen to take urgent responsibility for the basic education structures within their jurisdictions. As constitutionally mandated custodians of local government education management, their silence in the face of widespread school closures is unacceptable.

Photo source: e.r.w.i.n