The FCT Stakeholders Assembly have applauded the minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, following his decisive intervention to resolve the indefinite strike action by public school teachers in the territory.
The strike, declared by the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) on Monday, had paralysed academic activities across the six area councils of the FCT, grounding the education of thousands of children to a halt.
However, in a swift response, the minister summoned the leadership of the NUT for an emergency meeting, a move stakeholders now describe as the turning point in the industrial action.
Addressing journalists during a press briefing in Abuja on Friday, President of FCT Stakeholders Assembly, Dr Aliyu Daniel Kwali, and other leaders of the Stakeholders Assembly, declared that the minister’s action had restored hope to worried parents and guardians.
Kwali lavished praise on the minister, stating that the intervention was not only timely but proof of a leadership that prioritizes the future of youths over political posturing.
“We are here to openly and unreservedly commend the FCT minister, Nyesom Wike, for the fatherly role he has played in this teachers’ strike crisis.
“For three agonising days, our children, the future of the original inhabitants of this territory, have been sitting at home while their peers in private schools are learning. As parents and community leaders, it was a nightmare watching our young ones lose precious academic days. But the moment we heard that Minister Wike invited the NUT leadership for a face-to-face meeting, our hearts leaped for joy.
“This is what proactive leadership looks like. Some ministers would have waited for the strike to fester for weeks, maybe months, before acting. But not Wike. Within 72 hours of the strike action, he had already locked himself in a room with the teachers’ union leaders to find a solution. That is the kind of man we want at the helm of FCT affairs, a man who listens, a man who acts, and a man who ensures that our children go back to school,” he said.
He dismissed insinuations that the minister was being too soft on the union, arguing that dialogue remains the most civilised weapon for industrial harmony.
“Let nobody misinterpret this intervention as weakness. No. It is strength. It is intelligence. We know Mr. Wike as a fighter, but today we celebrate him as a peacemaker.
“He understood that the greatest victims of a prolonged strike are not the teachers, it is the innocent child who just wants to learn how to read and write. By meeting the NUT leadership head-on, he has cleared the clouds of uncertainty hanging over our children’s education,” he said.
The assembly president also used the forum to appeal directly to the striking teachers, urging them to reciprocate the minister’s goodwill.
“To our dear teachers, we say thank you for standing up for your rights. You deserve good welfare, you deserve timely salaries, and you deserve respect. But now that the FCT minister has shown that he is willing to listen, we urge you to give peace a chance.
“Do not let this strike drag. Your children are also our children. Let the dialogue continue, and let our classrooms be filled again with the beautiful noise of learning,” he said.
He further warned that the original inhabitants of the FCT have suffered enough educational neglect over the decades, insisting that this moment must mark a turning point.
“Our youths have been left behind for too long. We cannot afford another week of school closure. We are, therefore, calling on both the FCTA and the NUT to sustain this new spirit of cooperation.
“We have seen the handshake; now we want to see the agreement. And we trust that Minister Wike, a man of his word, will ensure that whatever was discussed at that meeting is implemented to the letter,” he said.
The FCT Stakeholders Assembly, in a communiqué issued after the briefing, equally threw its weight behind the minister, describing his intervention as a masterstroke that averted a full-blown crisis.
As of press time, the NUT had not officially called off the strike, but informed sources hinted that the meeting with Wike was productive, with the union leadership reportedly satisfied with the minister’s commitments.
Credit: Leadership