*We Have Met 10 Of Their 14 Demands
*We’re Open To Reasonable Dialogue, Blackmail Won’t Move Us
THE Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has warned that any worker of the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) that fails to resume work from Wednesday, January 28, would face disciplinary action.
Wike stated this on Tuesday, January 27, while briefing journalists at his office in Abuja shortly after the National Industrial Court (NIC) in Abuja ordered the workers to suspend their ongoing strike.
Justice Emmanuel Subilim had ordered the workers to suspend their ongoing stike, pending the hearing and determination of the originating summons, following an application filed by the minister, seeking a court order to compel them to resume work.
In the suit, the minister named the President and Secretary of the Joint Union Action Congress (JUAC) as respondents.
Justice Subilim held that the industrial action, including strikes, must be suspended once a dispute has been referred to the NIC, citing Section 18(1)E of the Trade Dispute Act.
Noting that the suspension ensures the dispute is properly resolved and ongoing strikes must halt upon the commencement of a suit by originating summons, which constitutes a referral.
The Judge further cautioned that failure to comply with Section 18 of the Act may attract sanctions, stressing that the public interest in maintaining industrial peace outweighs any inconvenience caused by suspending the strike.
The Judge subsequetly adjourned the case has been adjourned to March 25, 2026, for hearing.
In his immediate reaction, Wike stated: “From tomorrow, if you don’t come to work, we are going to apply the big stick, and from tomorrow, if we see anybody who says he wants to block the gate, we will make you a scapegoat. The law must take its place.
“Disobeying the law has consequences. From tomorrow, any worker who refuses to resume work will face disciplinary action. Anyone who blocks government facilities will face the full weight of the law.
“No one will stagnate this administration through blackmail or political games. Nigeria must operate under the rule of law.”
Wike insisted that the FCTA has met with the unions and all their grievances have also been tabled, saying security agencies and the FCT management have tried to dialogue with the unions but to no avail.
While noting there is more to it than just their demands, the minister added: “I mean, if the workers made 14 demands and government has addressed 10 out of it, what then is the issue?”
The minister added: “If you are requesting for 14 things and the government has met 10 things, you should be able to say we will give you some time. But everybody spoke to them, the security, the administration, and we sat down and said there is more to it.
“This is not my first time of having this kind of issues; I have been governor of Rivers State for eight years, so I do know that if workers have legitimate demands and what the administration can do is to see if they demands are legitimate. What if it’s difficult to fully implement them. However, we shall start with this, give us some time, we would have issued the payment.
“There is nobody that would think that if you are entitled to earn this, the government will deny you, it’s not correct when it’s about wages. That’s why they don’t tell the government the truth.
“Over N5billion, there is the acting Head of Service, Permanent Secretary, there is tax paying, we will pay December, we are going to pay January, and by the grace of God, we are going to pay February.”
He pointed tobreforms achieved under the current FCTA administration, including establishment of the FCT Civil Service Commission, appointment of permanent secretaries and creation of the Office of the Head of Service.
He recalled: “Before now, workers retired at director level. These reforms were not in place. You cannot expect us to spend all revenue on wages, while abandoning infrastructure development.”
He reiterated openness to reasonable dialogue with the workers, but warned that blackmail would not move the administration, saying the issue was not new, stressing that while government recognises workers’ rights, some of the demands went beyond what employees were legitimately entitled to.
“The issue of the strike is not new. I believe the administration has reasonably met the demands of the workers.
“However, we must be honest and admit that some of the demands are frivolous and go beyond what workers are legitimately entitled to.” Wike said.
He explained that the FCT Administration initially opted for dialogue, rather than confrontation, noting that government did not rush to court when the strike began, but did so to allow an impartial determination of the issues on merit, rather than allowing propaganda and misinformation to dominate public discourse.
“We believed in dialogue and engagement. But when it became clear that politicians were about to hijack the strike, we had no choice but to seek legal intervention.
“This is a democracy; everyone has the right to protest. But strike action should always be the last option. If workers ask for 14 days and government addresses issues within 10 days, there should be room for understanding.
“When demands are legitimate, government should acknowledge them. But implementation often requires time. Government does not deny legitimate entitlements, especially wages.”
He dismissed reports that he was chased out of his office during the strike, describing them as deliberate falsehoods driven by political interests, noting: “I was in my office, travelled to see Mr. President, went to Turkey and returned. These stories are pure misinformation.”
The minister assured that the FCTA would obey the court’s decision, urging all parties to do the same, just as he expressed his commitment to lawful resolution of disputes and continued reforms in the territor.
On January 19, the FCTA and Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA) workers embarked on the industrial action, shutting down activities in all FCTA secretariats, departments, agencies, area councils, and parastatals, over what they described as “unmet demands” by the administration.
