The National Industrial Court of Nigeria in Abuja has scheduled a ruling for today (Tuesday) regarding a lawsuit brought by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, and the FCT Administration against the leaders of the Joint Union Action Committee.
Justice E.D. Subilim adjourned the case after listening to the arguments presented by the attorneys for both sides.
The plaintiffs had summoned the JUAC Chairman, Rifkatu Iortyer, and the Secretary, Abdullahi Umar Saleh, to court in case number NICN/ABJ/17/2026, requesting an interim injunction to prevent the defendants and their representatives from initiating any industrial action, picketing, or lockout.
The current strike, which started last Monday following the end of a seven-day ultimatum, has halted operations in key FCTA offices in Abuja, including the FCTA Secretariat, where security personnel were assigned to limit access.
Even though the FCTA management asserted that the majority of workers’ demands were satisfied, the JUAC rejected these claims, emphasizing that fundamental issues were still unaddressed.
During the hearing on Monday, the workers’ union’s attorney, Maxwell Opara, requested the court to reject the motion, contending that the reliefs pursued would effectively resolve the main case at the interlocutory phase.
Opara referenced the Supreme Court ruling in Opara Agwu & Anor v. Julius Berger Plc, asserting that ordering workers to return to work without paid salaries was precarious. He additionally requested the court to contemplate enforcing arbitration to mandate the FCT minister’s attendance.
Justice Subilim then adjourned the case until January 27 for a decision.
After the court proceedings, the claimants’ lawyer, James Onoja (SAN), informed reporters that the defendants did not possess “juristic personality,” claiming that the union was not acknowledged under the Companies and Allied Matters Act or the Trade Union Act, making it an unlawful entity.
“The people who called the strike are an illegal body. JUAC is not registered under the Trade Union Act, and because of that, they cannot call a strike. So, this strike is illegal. That is our contention, and that is what we are arguing before the court.
“The most important thing is that we are talking about a government that is ready to listen. The mediation was going on, and they came to court, and then there are processes to be followed before you declare a strike. That process was not followed,” he stated.
Opara, on his part, stated that the union had written 11 correspondences to the minister, outlining its grievances and calling for mediation, arguing that the matter should have been referred for alternative dispute resolution.
“This time he (Wike) is wasting in court trying to intimidate workers. Is it not enough to talk to workers? So, we established before the court that we expected them to apply that the court should refer this matter to mediation.
But they were interested in calling off the strike. And we are now saying that if you call off the strike, you want an angry, hungry man to go and start up work? That is even more dangerous,” he said.
Speaking on why the defendants sought to join the Nigeria Labour Congress and the Trade Union Congress in the suit, Opara responded, “If you watch the process, it is only the President of JUAC and the Secretary in person. They did not even sue them as the president or secretary; they just sued them.”
“So, the implication is that, if the court orders that the strike should be called off, the order is only binding on two persons. And in our counter-affidavit, we established the fact that they are under Labour and TUC. And we are saying that Labour and TUC, if you watched a couple of days ago, issued a press statement giving directives that other affiliated bodies should join in a solidarity strike. And we are saying that it is proper for us to join them because they are necessary parties,” Opara argued.
In the meantime, employees of the FCT Administration and the Federal Capital Development Agency, supported by the Nigeria Labour Congress, demonstrated outside the Industrial Court prior to Monday’s hearings, insisting on the dismissal of the Minister of the FCT.
The action came after an order from the NLC, which supported the industrial action, labeling it as warranted due to what it called ongoing infringements of workers’ rights by the FCTA management and political leaders.
The labor union additionally charged the FCTA with wage exploitation, harassment of employees, and not fulfilling legal responsibilities.
Demonstrators held signs with messages like “Wike must leave!”, “Abuja isn’t Rivers,” “Settle promotion backlogs,” “We’ve had enough,” “Disburse our pensions now,” “Ongoing disregard for workers’ welfare,” “Honor civil service regulations,” and “No equipment for work.”
Various unions, such as the Nigerian Union of Teachers, the National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives, the National Union of Electricity Employees, and the Nigeria Union of Journalists FCT chapter, among others, have also participated in the strike.
