Nearly 6,000 education officers in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) have begun sitting rescheduled promotion examinations, even as the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has challenged Minister Nyesom Wike’s ‘no work, no pay’ directive amid the ongoing teachers’ strike.
A total of 5,990 officers are participating in the exercise, which began on October 5 and entered its sixth day on Monday, October 12. The examinations cover promotions from Grade Level 13 to Grade Level 17.
The exercise was rescheduled after protests disrupted the 2025 promotion examinations, preventing some education officers from participating while other cadres completed theirs.
The Head of the FCT Civil Service, Nancy Sabanti Nathan, said the minister’s intervention had provided another opportunity for affected officers to compete for career advancement.
“I am so happy that they came out in this number for their examination,” Nathan said, explaining that some candidates had been unable to sit the previous examination because they were caught up in the protests.
She urged candidates to maintain order, adding that promotions would depend on performance and compliance with established procedures.
The Chairman of the FCT Civil Service Commission, Emeka Ezeh, also confirmed the number of participating officers and assured them of a transparent, merit-based process.
However, the examinations have not resolved the dispute between the FCT Administration and organised labour over teachers’ promotion arrangements and other career-related grievances.
In a circular dated October 11, the NLC’s FCT Council Chairman, Knabayi S. Adalo, rejected Wike’s reported directive requiring principals and head teachers to open attendance registers to monitor compliance with the strike.
The union described the ‘no work, no pay’ directive as unconstitutional and unenforceable, urging teachers to remain at home and disregard attendance registers opened during the industrial action.
The NLC said the indefinite strike was prompted by unresolved grievances, including a disputed vacancy clause in promotion arrangements, the outstanding 2025 promotion exercise for affected officers and the alleged demotion of directors affected by decisions concerning the Harmonised Retirement Age for Teachers Act, 2022.
The union cited provisions of the 1999 Constitution, the Trade Unions Act and International Labour Organisation conventions in defending workers’ right to strike. It also argued that Section 43 of the Trade Disputes Act supported its position on the disputed salary directive.
The NLC warned that it would challenge any salary deductions linked to the strike in court. It also cautioned school administrators against compelling teachers to sign attendance registers or facilitating punitive measures against striking workers.
The administration’s position on the legality of the strike and the union’s interpretation of the relevant laws were not detailed in the account of the dispute.
Meanwhile, the President of the Joint Unions Action Congress in the FCT Administration and Federal Capital Development Authority, Rifkatu Iortyer, said the rescheduled examinations had proceeded smoothly since October 5.
She explained that administrative officers, accountants and other operational cadres had completed their examinations earlier, while Monday and Tuesday were set aside for education officers and teachers.
Iortyer welcomed the opportunity given to officers who missed the earlier exercise and disclosed that union leaders were engaging in informal mediation to resolve the dispute.
She urged the FCT Administration and labour leaders to return to the negotiating table, warning that a prolonged strike could disrupt learning and other activities in public schools.
The Director of the FCTA Security Services Department, Adamu Gwary, said the examinations had remained peaceful, attributing the orderly conduct to planning, accreditation procedures and the cooperation of candidates.
Nathan also explained that promotion opportunities at higher levels were constrained by the civil service hierarchy and the limited availability of vacancies. She said the extension of teachers’ retirement age had contributed to fewer openings in some cadres.
The rescheduled examinations are intended to give affected officers another opportunity to compete for available positions. However, the NLC maintains that the wider industrial dispute will continue until the outstanding issues concerning promotions and career progression are addressed.
The two sides now face pressure to resolve the disagreement through negotiations while limiting further disruption to public education in the territory.
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