The National Assembly has begun inquiries into the prolonged strike by public primary school teachers in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), as the industrial action enters its third month.

The strike, led by the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), is due to the non-payment of the N70,000 minimum wage and other entitlements allegedly withheld by the area council chairmen.

The work stoppage began with boycotts in December 2024, resurfaced in February, and has continued through March and April, disrupting public primary education in the FCT.

Last week, teachers and local government employees protested at the Area 11 office of FCT Minister Nyesom Wike, demanding immediate action.

In response, Wike stated that more than N4 billion had been released to the area councils for wage and entitlement payments. He criticised the council chairmen for failing to deploy the funds as intended and summoned them to an emergency meeting.

FCT Chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Stephen Knabayi, confirmed in an interview on Wednesday that union leaders met with the National Assembly on Tuesday.

Knabayi stated that representatives of the teachers’ union had met with the National Assembly the previous day, and further discussions were scheduled for the following week.

He added that the council chairmen had been instructed to provide documentation detailing their financial allocations and expenditures between Tuesday and Friday.

He noted that the Permanent Secretary of the FCTA Treasury Department had also been invited for clarification.

According to Knabayi, the Treasury Department reported releasing N4.1 billion, but the council chairmen are asserting that they have not received these funds, which were intended to resolve the workers’ issues.

Knabayi disclosed that a committee had been formed to verify the financial claims and determine possible intervention steps.

However, he expressed doubt about the outcome of the talks.

“For us, all these things—they’re just buying time. We don’t believe them. Our action continues. By tomorrow, we will decide whether we’ll hit the streets again on Monday or Tuesday. We are not waiting for anyone,” he said.