The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Mr. Nyesom Wike is scheduled to hold a meeting on the 3rd of July, 2025, with FCT area council chairmen, officials of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), and the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS).
The meeting aims to conclude talks on how to reopen all public primary schools in the FCT.
This was disclosed in a joint statement by NANS National President, Olushola Oladoja, and the association’s National Public Relations Officer, Adeyemi Ajasa.
According to the statement, NANS had initially planned a mass protest on Wednesday morning at the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) Secretariat.
The association said its leaders were later invited to the Department of State Services (DSS) Headquarters for a critical meeting that focused on national security concerns and the welfare of students.
This engagement was followed by a meeting with the Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on FCT, Muktar Betara, where the key issues behind the NUT’s industrial action were examined, along with Wike’s intervention efforts.
A third round of discussions held the 1st of July, 2025 with the FCT Minister provided further clarity on the matter.
The association said that the FCT remains the only unit of the federation operating full local government autonomy, hence all salary payments, including that of primary school teachers, are the sole responsibility of the area councils.
“The FCT Administration is not directly responsible for the backlog of teachers’ salaries and therefore should not be held solely accountable for the inadequacies of the area councils,” it said.
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The statement added that Wike took steps to address the crisis by proposing a bailout plan.
“In a show of responsibility and commitment to resolving the crisis, Wike intervened by proposing a bailout, with FCTA offering to pay 60 per cent of the outstanding arrears while the area councils cover the remaining 40 per cent. When this effort failed to gain traction, Wike took further action.
“When it became clear that this arrangement was not yielding desired results, the FCT Minister withheld the Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) of the area councils for the months of May and June, with a plan to utilize these funds to make up the 40 per cent requested of area councils to clear the outstanding arrears owed to teachers.
“That based on this intervention, it was expected that the two-month arrears withheld be ready before the end of the week,” it said.
In light of recent developments and ongoing dialogue, the association announced it would no longer go ahead with the protest.
“We reaffirm our commitment to defending the rights of Nigerian students and ensuring that no child is denied access to education due to governmental lapses,” it said.