Activist Aisha Yesufu has urged the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, to intervene promptly in the ongoing teachers’ strike, warning that further inactivity could undermine basic education in Abuja.
Her participation comes after the Nigeria Union of Teachers, FCT Wing, declared an indefinite strike on Monday, April 20, 2026, over unresolved welfare issues and the non-implementation of a committee report issued in August 2025.
Yesufu described the situation as a preventable disaster in a message posted to her X account on Monday, emphasizing that teachers do not go on strike unless they are pushed to their limits.
“Enough is enough. When teachers lay down their tools, it is never because they want to. It is because they have been pushed to the wall,” she said.
She cautioned that the walkout will disproportionately affect youngsters rather than government personnel.
“And when teachers are pushed to the wall, what suffers first is not government pride; it is the future of children,” she said.
According to her, sources from the union’s FCT wing indicate that a committee established in July 2025 to handle teachers’ entitlements concluded its work and presented a report in August, but it has yet to be disclosed and implemented.
“The reports coming from the FCT Nigeria Union of Teachers are deeply troubling. Teachers are saying there is a committee report that was concluded since August 2025, yet it has not been released or implemented,” she said.
Yesufu also cited unresolved entitlements and promotion delays as key drivers of the crisis.
“They are saying entitlements remain unresolved. They are saying promotions are being trapped in bureaucracy that makes no sense in a system that claims to value education,” Yesufu stated.
She warned that the strike, if prolonged, would have dire consequences for pupils across the territory.
“Let it be clear. When classrooms are shut, it is not government officials who feel it first. It is the child in Primary 1 trying to learn how to read,” she said.
“It is the girl who dreams of becoming a doctor. It is the boy who sees education as his only ladder out of poverty.”
Yesufu spoke directly to Wike and demanded fast action to prevent a total school shutdown.
“Mr. Nyesom Wike, leadership is not about silence when systems are breaking. Leadership is about stepping in before collapse becomes reality,” she said.
She also noted that the demands of the teachers were clear and actionable.
“Release the report. Implement what has been agreed. Fix the promotion bottlenecks. End the cycle of avoidable industrial crises that always end with the child as the victim,” she said.
Following an emergency meeting of its State Wing Executive Council in Gwagwalada, the union urged teachers in all six area councils to withdraw from work indefinitely until their demands were realized.
The demands include the publishing and implementation of the harmonization committee’s findings on pending entitlements, as well as the resolution of promotion and welfare difficulties for teachers.
While the FCT Administration has already intervened in areas like the implementation of the N70,000 minimum salary and partial payment of arrears, ongoing worries about entitlements and career advancement have fueled tensions.
Yesufu warned that further delays could diminish trust in public education.
“Because what is the value of governance if the classroom is empty? What is the meaning of authority if children are the ones paying the price for unresolved administrative delays?” she asked.
“Act now, before classrooms go silent,” she concluded.
