Workers at the secretariat of the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) have completely shut all offices in line with the industrial action being embarked upon by their umbrella union, the Joint Union Action Congress (JUAC).

According to the union, the strike action is indefinite because of unresolved welfare issues.
 
JUAC, which ordered employees across all cadres of the administration to withdraw their services with effect from January 19, 2026, based its decision on the authorities’ alleged failure to address long-standing demands.
 
In a statement dated January 8 and jointly signed by JUAC President, Rifkatu Iortyer and Secretary, Abdullahi Saleh, the union said an earlier ultimatum issued on January 7 expired without any meaningful engagement from the management.
 
According to the unions, their grievances include non-payment of outstanding promotion arrears, delays in the conduct and release of promotion exercises, and what they described as continued extension of service for retired directors and permanent secretaries. 
 
They argued that the practice was stalling career progression for serving officers.
 
The workers also accused the administration of failing to remit statutory deductions, including pension contributions and National Housing Fund payments, warning that the lapses could jeopardise the future welfare of affected staff.
 
JUAC further expressed dissatisfaction with the outcome of the 2024 promotion examinations, describing the exercise as largely unsuccessful, alleging that a significant number of its members were unfairly affected.
 
The unions maintained that the strike would continue until their demands were met.

Hours before the commencement of the industrial action, JUAC circulated a notice titled “Code Remain at Home,” urging staff to cooperate to ensure that what it described as “agitations for better working conditions in the FCTA” succeeded.

But spokesperson for FCT Minister Nyesom Wike, Lere Olayinka, insisted that the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) had met 10 out of the 14 demands of the striking workers, adding that others were being looked into with a view to addressing them.
 
Olayinka, in a statement yesterday, while expressing that there were workers under various unions, such as the Law Officers Association of Nigeria, who have dissociated themselves from the industrial action, stressed that the employees deserve to be allowed to perform their duties.
 
He explained that the Association of Resident Doctors, Federal Capital Territory (ARD-FCTA), wrote to his principal appreciating him for “his exemplary leadership and commitment to the welfare of healthcare workers, as demonstrated by the payment of the longstanding 13 months hazard allowance arrears as well as the payment of one-month wage award.”