*I’ve Served Under Several Past Ministers, I’ve Never Seen Anomalies As These, Director Laments
*Staff Members Offer Shocking Details Of Working Conditions
*Wike’s Team, Labour Meet Today
By Felix Durumbah,Abuja
Moving to stave off a looming strike over appalling staff welfare conditions, authorities of Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) have called a meeting today with leaders of FCTA labour unions.
People&Politics , which is a keen follower of developments inside FCTA, exclusively gathered that the meeting, described as vital, is scheduled for 2pm and will be attended by handpicked top shots of the Administration.
It is billed to hold in FCTA’s headquarters located on 1 Kapital Road,Area 11, Garki, Abuja.
President of the workers’ umbrella body, Joint Unions Action Committee (JUAC), Comrade Rifkatu Iortyer, responded to an enquiry by People&Politics, and confirmed the date and time.
“We’re meeting at 2pm today,” she said.
It was learned that the meeting is a follow-up to a preliminary one held last week on same matter.
Ahead of the latest developments, workers’ affiliate unions in the Administration had kicked off massive mobilization of the about 40,000 staff members of FCTA in readiness for a planned strike this week.
FCTA, which is constitutionally the government of the nation’s capital, was on the brink of convulsing in the planned huge labour action following the expiration today of a seven-day ultimatum served on FCT Minister, Barrister Nyesom Wike, by JUAC over a plethora of demands bordering on alleged poor welfare conditions under which the employees are allegedly constrained to work.
A statement dated 8 January, 2026, and issued by Comrade Iortyer, and JUAC Secretary, Comrade Abdullahi Umar Saleh, had revealed that Wike has been served notice of the proposed strike.
Also served were the Minister of State, Hajiya Mahmoud Bunkure; Chief of Staff to the Minister; Head of FCT Service; and other ranking officials.
The development is coming less than a year after the staff embarked on a three-day protest, from 30 June-2 July, to press home their demand for improved conditions of service commensurate with what obtained under all FCT Ministers before the advent of Wike.
In the latest statement titled ‘Call For Action’, which contained details of the ultimatum, JUAC accused Wike of anti-worker policies and “the failure of management to adequately address our legitimate engagements, correspondences, and appeals.”
Top on the list of 18-point demands was the non-release of the approved overhead costs for six months of 2025.
Overhead refers to statutory monthly financials for the running of departments and other agencies of government,to enable seamless service delivery to Nigerians.
Cumulatively, it could total billions of Naira with its deployment ensuring that government’s policies and programmes are practically felt, embraced and appreciated by the people.
The need for overhead, sparked by its alleged non-payment currently, is so dire that a director told People&Politics on condition of anonymity, for fear of victimization: “I’m not given money even to buy ordinary paper to write official memos for service delivery to keep the business of government running smoothly.
“I’ve served under several past FCT Ministers -from El-Rufai, Aliero, Bala Mohammed to the immediate past Minister Mohammed Bello – and I can tell you that no situation as this has ever arisen. Can you imagine; six months,no overhead!
“Worse of all, as a director,who heads an agency, I can’t, in fact none of us, is allowed to easily see the Honorable Minister one-on-one to discuss these unprecedented service anomalies. He hedges himself in, or is hedged away, from us. Whether such seclusion is best for service outcomes and staff welfare, is left for imagination. We’re just not happy here anymore.”
Some other demands listed by JUAC included the non-payment of five months Wage Award granted federal workers by President Bola Tinubu to stave off the painful, debilitating effects of the 2023 increase in price of petrol; non-remittance of pension contributions to individual Pension Fund Administrators’ (PFAs) accounts since May 2023; lack of training and retraining of staff members; non-payment of 13 months hazard allowance and 22 months rural allowance for health workers.
A staff member painted a picture to People&Politics of what a typical office situation presently in FCTA is.
“It is just appalling. Many of us report for work just two or three times in a week,whereas under former Ministers we were on our duty posts five times a week.
“We are now compelled by circumstances of poor welfare to limit the number of times we come for work because the wage award and other statutory incentives to motivate one to come for work,are presently in gross deficit, against the backdrop of harsh economic realities in the land.
“How do you want me to report for work when we have no office transport system, or one that is subsidized? We had this under former Minister Bello.
“Now, you’re on your own –and even the wage award arrears for several months remain unpaid. Without motivation, what you get is exactly what you put in. In truth, we’ve never had it so bad –and I’ve worked in FCTA for decades now,” the employee disclosed, with a shake of the head.
A female staff member who works in the Minister’s Office complex, told People&Politics that since Minister Wike assumed office in 2023, she had not been offered the routine statutory training and retraining opportunity which builds capacity, sharpens competency, and motivates employees for effective and effective service delivery.
She said: “Suddenly, it’s like staff trainings and retraining were cancelled. Yet, there’s no official circular to this effect. None of us in our department has proceeded on training since 2023. It’s the hard and harsh reality we’re facing here. Staff are bleeding inside.”
Spokesman to the Minister, Mr Lere Olayinka, did not take calls put to his line,as of press time.
*PHOTO CAPTION: Wike.
