The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Council, has declared an indefinite strike across the territory over a disputed promotion policy affecting FCT teachers.

The labour council directed workers in both the public and private sectors to shut down schools, hospitals, government offices and other establishments until its demands are addressed.

The strike commenced on Wednesday, October 7, 2026, following the expiration of a seven-day ultimatum issued to the FCT Administration (FCTA) on September 8.

The NLC said the decision followed what it described as an “ambiguous and dismissive” response from the FCTA, which it claimed failed to address its major demand for the removal of the vacancy requirement for the promotion of teachers.

At the centre of the dispute is the FCTA’s reported position that teachers can only be promoted when vacancies are available.

The NLC rejected the policy, arguing that it was alien to the teaching profession and had contributed to prolonged career stagnation among teachers.

In resolutions signed by its Chairman, Comrade Knabayi Adalo, the NLC FCT Council said teachers should not be subjected to vacancy-based promotion arrangements applicable to pool officers.

According to the council, teachers were specifically recruited by the FCT Universal Basic Education Board (UBEB) and FCT Secondary Education Board (SEB) to teach and should therefore be promoted when due.

The labour council outlined three major demands.

It demanded the immediate removal of the vacancy requirement for the promotion of FCT teachers and the reconsideration of teachers who became eligible for promotion in 2025, allowing them to sit for their promotion examination before or alongside the 2026 candidates.

The NLC also demanded the withdrawal of redeployment and demotion letters issued to directors who benefited from the Harmonised Retirement Age for Teachers Act, 2022.

In addition, the council called for the immediate reinstatement of the dissolved management teams of the FCT SEB and UBEB.

The NLC said its State Executive Council (SEC), at a meeting held on Monday, October 6, at the council’s secretariat, rejected the FCTA’s response as “neither clear, positive, nor genuine.”

It accused the administration of failing to address what it described as the “root cause of career stagnation”—the vacancy clause—while also remaining silent on the alleged redeployment of directors.

“The response of the FCTA is ambiguous and totally unacceptable,” the SEC said, adding that it would “no longer tolerate the continued dehumanisation of FCT teachers through obnoxious policies alien to the teaching profession.”

Consequently, the council directed all workers in the FCT, including those in the public and private sectors, to commence an indefinite strike from Wednesday.

It ordered the closure of offices, schools, hospitals and government establishments until its demands are fully addressed.

Affiliate unions were also directed to mobilise their members, establish enforcement committees and ensure that workers participating in the strike were protected against victimisation.

Defending the action, the NLC said the dispute went beyond an ordinary industrial disagreement, describing it as a struggle for justice and workers’ rights.

“The FCTA’s attempt to sustain industrial harmony without addressing underlying injustice is mere wishful thinking,” the council said. “There can be no peace without justice.”

The NLC appealed to parents, civil society organisations and other Nigerians to bear with the workers and prevail on the FCTA to resolve the dispute.

The council insisted that the strike would remain “total and indefinite,” stressing that there would be no return to work until its demands were fully addressed.

The latest action marks a significant escalation in the prolonged dispute between the FCTA and organised labour over the promotion of teachers, with the removal of the vacancy requirement remaining at the heart of the disagreement.