Wike Heads to Industrial Court as FCTA Strike Paralyzes Abuja

The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has intensified his confrontation with organized labor by dragging the Joint Unions Action Committee (JUAC) before the National Industrial Court. The legal move comes as a response to an indefinite strike that has effectively grounded administrative activities across the FCT since Monday. Represented by a high-powered legal team including four Senior Advocates of Nigeria, the Minister is seeking to break the deadlock that has left government gates padlocked and hundreds of civil servants away from their desks.

The suit, marked NICN/ABJ/17/2026, was filed against JUAC President Rifkatu Iortyer and Secretary-General Abdullahi Saleh. In a preliminary ruling delivered on Wednesday, January 21, Justice E. D. Subilim granted the FCTA leave to serve the unions through substituted means. This includes publishing the court processes in a national newspaper and pasting them at the union’s secretariat. The court’s intervention aims to address the blockade of access roads and the picketing of government offices, which the administration claims has crippled the city’s essential functions.

At the heart of the dispute is a 14-point demand list covering various welfare issues. While the FCTA management, through an aide to the Minister, claimed on Monday that 10 of these demands—including hazard allowances and wage awards—have already been addressed, the union has fiercely contested this narrative. JUAC leaders described the government’s claims as “misleading” and “premature,” insisting that no formal agreement has been signed and that several core issues remain untouched.

The striking workers are particularly aggrieved over unpaid promotion arrears for 2023 and 2024, the non-remittance of National Housing Fund (NHF) and pension deductions since May 2025, and a controversial promotion examination process. The union also cited the “illegal” tenure elongation of retired directors and permanent secretaries as a major sticking point, arguing that it stalls the career progression of younger officers.

Security at the FCTA Secretariat in Area 11 remains tight, with operatives of the Nigeria Police Force and the Civil Defence Corps maintaining a visible presence. Despite the deployment of security and the fresh legal pressure, the union has remained defiant. In a recent internal memo, the JUAC leadership urged its members to “remain at home,” declaring that they will not be “cowed into submission” by court summons or administrative threats.

The National Industrial Court has adjourned the matter to Monday, January 26, for the hearing of the motion on notice. As both parties prepare for the legal showdown, residents of the capital territory continue to face disruptions in public services, ranging from land administration to social welfare programs. The outcome of Monday’s hearing will likely determine whether the “stay-at-home” order persists or if the Minister can secure an injunction to force a return to work.