.Demands removal of 6 Area Councils chairmen over unpaid wages, allowances
CHIGOZIE AMADI
The Nigerian Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE), FCT chapter, has defied the plea of the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, to sheath their swords by insisting on the immediate removal of the six Abuja area council chairmen over consistent violation of workers’ rights to regular wages and favourable conditions of service.
The workers on Monday declared an indefinite, unconditional and total sit-at-home and boycott of the secretariats in the six area councils, namely AMAC, Kuje, Gwagwalada, Bwari, Abaji and Kwali, pending when their demands are addressed.
The sit-at-home folliwed the peaceful protest match by hundreds of placard-carrying Federal Capital Territory workers on April 24 and 25, 2025, through the streets of Abuja to the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) office, at the Central Area, and to the FCT Minister’s office to demand the implementation and payment of their 40% peculiar allowance, 25% CONHESS salary increment, 25-35% CONPSS salary increment, arrears of 35,000 six months wage award and N70,000 minimum wage owed them by the FCT council chairmen since the past three years.
The protest commenced at the NLC headquarters with the NLC President, Comrade Joe Ajaero and other affiliate union leaders addressing the workers on the growing neglect of local government staff by the political class despite the state of the economy.
The FCT NULGE President, Comrade Abdullahi Ibrahim Kabi, while addressing the momentous crowd, commended the efforts and resilience of members, saying that it will definitely yield positive results after exhausting every avenue for dialogue.
“The FCT area council chairmen are holding us to ransom for their inability to act in agreement to the various memoredum of understanding (MOU’s) signed with them to implement and pay up the backlog of arrears owed the staff of the local government across the six area councils,” Kabi said.
Earlier at the beginning of the peaceful protest, workers carrying placards with different inscriptions marched from the Labour House in the Central Area to the FCT Minister’s office at Area 11, chanting anti-government songs to emphasize their demands.
However, tension escalated when armed policemen locked the main gate of the Minister’s office, preventing the protesters from entering the ministry.
Despite the presence of policemen, the organized labour stood firm, insisting that the Minister must address them himself.
They vowed to block the movement of staff and officials until their demands were heard.
The FCT Mandate Secretary, Area Council Service Secretariat, Lawrence Garki, who attempted to address the protesters on behalf of FCT Minister Nyesom Wike was booed and was not allowed to talk.
The protesters in the peaceful protest also demanded the resignation or removal of the six area council chairmen with immediate effect, accusing them of being indifferent to the workers’ struggles and plight.
