Workers of the Federal Capital Territory Administration on Monday took their protest to the National Industrial Court in Abuja, escalating an ongoing labour dispute that has grounded activities across the territory.
The workers were backed by the Nigeria Labour Congress, which openly threw its weight behind the action.
The protest formed part of a total and indefinite strike declared by FCTA workers over unresolved welfare issues.
Union leaders said the decision to move the protest to the court premises was meant to draw national attention to what they described as long-standing neglect and unfair treatment of staff.
Politics Nigeria reports that from the early hours of the day, the protesters gathered at the court complex, chanting solidarity songs and displaying placards with strong messages.
Some of the inscriptions read “Wike must go!!”, “Abuja no be Rivers”, “Pay promotion arrears”, “Enough is Enough” and “No working tools”.
Labour leaders accused the FCTA leadership of failing to honour agreements reached with workers, especially on the payment of promotion arrears, provision of basic working tools and improvement of general welfare.
They insisted that several warnings and negotiations had been ignored, leaving workers with no option but to down tools.
The Nigeria Labour Congress described the strike as legitimate and unavoidable. According to the union, the action was triggered by repeated violations of workers’ rights and what it called an attitude of disregard from the political leadership of the FCTA.
Protesters also called for the removal of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, accusing him of running the FCT in a manner that sidelines workers’ interests.
They argued that Abuja has unique administrative realities and should not be handled with a command-style approach.
Activities around the court premises were disrupted as security operatives monitored the situation. Court workers and visitors were seen avoiding the area, while proceedings were affected by the protest.
However, Union officials warned that the strike would continue until all demands are addressed and concrete commitments are made. They maintained that workers would not return to their duty posts without clear timelines for implementation of agreed resolutions.
Recall, Politics Nigeria earlier reported that labour unions have in recent weeks issued several warnings to the FCTA over unpaid entitlements and poor working conditions, threatening widespread industrial action if the issues remained unresolved.