The spokesperson to the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Lere Olayinka, has said that the government is not owing salaries to the striking Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) workers.
Olayinka made this claim during an interview on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief on Wednesday.
He explained that while the strike appears to be over unpaid salaries, the only salary that could be said to be pending is the January 2026 salary, which is yet to end.
“There is this mindset that it’s because the government is owing salaries. No salary is being owed. The government is not owing staff of the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) and the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA) a dime in terms of salary,” he said.
Speaking further, Olayinka addressed the issue of promotion arrears, one of the workers’ demands.
“As at December last year, the minister already approved N286.1 million for the payment of these arrears.
“The minister has approved, and it’s at the treasury level — payment is being processed. What else do you want the minister to do?” he questioned.
He also addressed claims that the minister had not granted workers an audience.
“The minister did not give you an audience? He sent people led by the Head of Service to hold meetings — several meetings with the union leaders, the Head of Service, Chief of Staff to the minister, Permanent Secretary of Common Services, and the Chairman of the Civil Service Commission.
“Those are the people the minister sent, and you are saying the minister did not give you an audience. How else do you want him to give you one?” he added.
On January 19, workers of the Federal Capital Territory Administration and the Federal Capital Development Authority commenced a strike, shutting down activities across Abuja due to what they described as ‘unmet demands’ by the FCT administration.
The strike affected all FCTA secretariats, departments, agencies, area councils, and parastatals.
The FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, said the workers made 14 demands, of which the government has addressed 10. “So what then is the issue?” he asked.
He stated that security agencies and the FCT management have attempted to dialogue with the unions but to no avail, asserting that there is more to the strike than just their listed demands.
However, Justice Emmanuel Subilim of the National Industrial Court, on Tuesday, ordered workers of the FCTA to suspend their ongoing industrial action pending the hearing and determination of the originating summons.
The ruling followed an application filed by the Minister of the FCT, Nyesom Wike, seeking a court order compelling striking FCTA workers to return to work.
Justice Subilim held that industrial action, including strikes, must be suspended once a dispute has been referred to the National Industrial Court.
Following the court order, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, said any worker of the FCTA who fails to resume work from Wednesday, January 28 would face disciplinary action.
Wike disclosed that his administration has met with the unions and all their grievances have also been tabled.
He stated that the security agencies and the FCT management have tried to dialogue with the unions but to no avail, asserting that there is more to it than just their demands.
