‎Scores of teachers under the aegis of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Wing, on Monday staged a protest at the Open University, Dutse-Alhaji, along the Kubwa Expressway in Abuja, over prolonged delays in their promotions and career progression.

‎As reported by the Sahara Reporters, the aggrieved teachers expressed frustration over what they described as bureaucratic bottlenecks preventing their advancement.

‎The teachers gathered outside the institution, carrying placards and demanding the immediate conclusion of the 2024 promotion exercise.

‎The protesters rejected the ‘vacancy rule,’ which they said civil service authorities had used to deny them career progression despite meeting the required promotion criteria and passing the qualifying examinations.

‎One of the placards read, ‘Complete the 2024 promotion exercise now,’ while others carried messages such as ‘Teachers are not pool staff,’ and ‘Our services count, not empty chairs.’

‎According to union leaders, hundreds of qualified teachers have remained on the same grade level for years due to delays in the promotion process, a situation they said has severely affected morale across public schools in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

‎The NUT FCT Wing is demanding the immediate release of all outstanding 2024 promotion letters, full financial implementation of the promotions, and payment of all outstanding entitlements.

‎The teachers vowed to sustain the picketing and withdraw their services until the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) and the relevant civil service authorities address their demands.