The Nigerian Union of Teachers (NUT) in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) has told how a large sum of money meant to pay striking teachers vanished. The money, N4.1 billion, was given by the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, to pay the new national minimum wage to teachers.
Emmanuel Ameh, the treasurer of the FCT NUT chapter, explained during an interview that the money was handed over to the chairmen of the six area councils in the FCT. But instead of paying the teachers, these council leaders said the money was for something called a “signature allowance.”
Teachers working in public primary schools in Abuja, the nation’s capital, have been on strike for more than three months. Their main reason is that they have not received the approved federal minimum wage.
Ameh shared that when they met the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, he promised to pay the unpaid salaries. The very next day, the minister released the money to the area council chairmen with the hope that they would pay the teachers.
Unfortunately, the chairmen refused to pay the teachers. When the matter was taken to the National Assembly Committee on FCT and Salary, the council leaders appeared before lawmakers and claimed that the money was not meant for teachers’ salaries but for “signature allowance.”
“We have reported this issue to the minister many times during the strike, which started on March 24, 2025,” Ameh said.
The minister asked why the schools were shut down. The teachers replied that it was because their 2024 minimum wage had not been paid. The area councils said they did not have the money to pay.
The minister then told the union leaders to come back the next day. When they returned, the Permanent Secretary of the Treasury informed them that the minister had approved N4.1 billion specifically for the minimum wage payment. This news brought hope to the teachers.
The new minimum wage is only one of many problems facing primary school teachers in FCT and its area councils. Because the councils refused to pay, the union brought the issue to the National Assembly for investigation.
At the National Assembly committee meeting, the six council chairmen admitted they received the N4.1 billion. However, they insisted the money was not for the minimum wage but for “signature allowance.”
When the committee asked what a “signature allowance” was, the chairmen said that’s what they were told the money was intended for.
Reports from Infoland show that the state of primary education in the FCT is poor. While other workers receive the new minimum wage, primary school teachers remain unpaid and excluded, which has caused the ongoing strike.
