After enduring months of silence and empty promises, scores of Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) workers broke their patience with a forceful protest over unpaid salaries and withheld benefits, sending a clear signal that their tolerance has reached its limit.
The aggrieved workers, under the umbrella of the Joint Union Action Committee (JUAC), carried placards bearing messages such as “Non-payment of AEPB Enforcement Squad,” “Inaccessibility of the salary portal to salary desk officers,” and “Withheld salaries and allowances of workers for over 6 months.”
Among their demands are the immediate payment of five months’ wage awards, reinstatement of teachers’ allowances in the FCT, cancellation of compulsory National Housing Fund deductions, and the processing of delayed staff promotions for 2023, 2024, and 2025.
Addressing reporters during the protest, on Monday at the FCTA headquarters in Area 11, Abuja, JUAC President, Rifkatu Iortyer, said the demonstration became necessary after all previous efforts to engage the FCT administration failed to yield results.
“We have written several letters to the Minister of the FCT, but there has been no response. This protest is the last resort,” Iortyer said, expressing frustration over the silence of the authorities.
Furthermore, she issued a three-day ultimatum to the FCTA to resolve the workers’ grievances or risk an escalation of industrial action.
Iortyer also stressed the importance of continuous training and retraining of FCTA personnel to improve service delivery, noting that staff development had been neglected for too long.
