The Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) has threatened to shutdown the federal capital territory, Abuja.
According to the state Chairman, Stephen Knabayi during an interview with newsmen in Abuja on Thursday, NLC will shutdown FCT after President Bola Tinubu concludes his projects’ inauguration on July 3.
Knabayi explained that the move was to draw the attention of the FCT Administration to address the area council workers’ lingering strike.
Primary health care centres were under lock and key, primary school teachers had been at home, and the six area councils’ Secretariat were abandoned by the workers for months.
The primary school teachers and other area council workers had embarked on strikes over the non-payment of the minimum wage and a 40 per cent peculiar allowance.
The NLC chair, who described the development as “very unfortunate”, said that the area council chairmen left the union with no option but to shut down the FCT.
He recalled that the union had issued a seven-day ultimatum to the FCT Administration on June 13 to address the demands of the teachers, health workers, and other area council workers.
He explained that the ultimatum followed the resolution of the executives of the joint unions of the NUT, the Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees and the National Association of Health Workers Union.
He noted that the ultimatum expired on June 20, and the NLC had yet to take any action.
Knabayi explained that the union backpedalled to allow President Bola Tinubu to complete the inauguration of projects executed by the FCT Administration as part of activities to celebrate his second year in office.
“We had to extend the ultimatum because of Tinubu’s movements to inaugurate the FCT-executed project.
“Members of the union will take over the streets of Abuja as soon as Tinubu concludes the inaugurations, hopefully on July 3.
“We are waiting for it to end, and we will come together to step up our planned action,” he said.
He added that the NLC had already informed the FCT Administration and security agencies of the planned protest, which would shut down the territory as a last resort to press home their demands.
