Abuja:The Academic Staff Union of Secondary Schools (ASUSS), Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Chapter, has announced its decision not to participate in the indefinite strike called by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC).
According to News Agency of Nigeria, the NLC had instructed all workers in the FCT, including those in the private sector, to begin an indefinite strike due to unresolved labor disputes and policy grievances affecting teachers. This action followed the expiration of a seven-day ultimatum given to the FCT Minister, Mr. Nyesom Wike.
In response, the FCT Wing of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) advised teachers in primary and secondary schools to stay home. However, Mr. Julius Ogundiran, Chairman of ASUSS in the FCT, issued a statement directing secondary school teachers and education officers to continue their academic duties. This decision was made after an emergency State Executive Council meeting where the union resolved to reject the strike.
Ogundiran criticized the strike as premature, arguing that it could harm students’ educational progress. He indicated that frequent strikes do not foster genuine industrial harmony and that the grievances cited by the NUT did not justify a strike.
He addressed specific grievances, stating that the requirement for teacher promotions is a statutory rule and that issues requiring negotiation should not lead to abrupt strikes. He also mentioned that the FCT Administration had already resolved the issue of teachers being omitted from the 2025 promotion examination.
Ogundiran noted that the redeployment of education directors back to classrooms was an administrative decision to maintain order. He warned that the strike might disrupt the upcoming 2025/2026 promotion exams for FCT education officers and urged ASUSS members to report for these assessments.
He called on parents and guardians to allow their children to attend school as usual and reassured the public of ASUSS’s commitment to professional integrity and industrial harmony in education.