A coalition of elder statesmen under the banner of the FCT Senior Citizens Forum has called on the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, and the six Area Council Chairmen to urgently resolve the over three-month-old strike crippling primary education and healthcare services across the territory.
At a press briefing in Abuja on Sunday, the forum’s Coordinator, Elder Danjuma Tanko Dara, described the prolonged shutdown as a “monumental failure of governance” and a “social emergency” in the heart of Nigeria’s capital.
“The simultaneous collapse of our primary schools and healthcare centres represents a double tragedy for our society,.
“Children are out of school, the sick are left unattended, and the very foundation of our community is under siege. This is not the Abuja we envisioned”, the forum said.
THE WHISTLER recalls that the industrial action, now in its 14th week, was triggered by the Area Councils’ failure to implement the N70,000 national minimum wage and clear backlogs of salaries owed since 2023 to teachers and primary healthcare workers.
To this end, the forum urged Wike to intervene decisively, saying: “We know his reputation as a man of action. Now is the time to show leadership by rescuing our failing education and health sectors,”.
The forum tabled several urgent solutions, including the immediate reconvening of the FCTA-Area Councils-Labour tripartite committee; direct deductions from council allocations to pay salaries; and the creation of a special intervention fund for frontline education and health workers.
It also decried the closure of over 500 primary schools and 200 primary healthcare centres, which have denied millions of FCT residents access to basic education and essential health services.
“How can we talk about development when our children are roaming the streets and pregnant women are turned away from health centres?
“The Area Council Chairmen must stop playing politics with people’s lives”, the group said.
The forum further demanded immediate and full payment of the minimum wage, clearance of all arrears, and direct salary disbursement by the FCT Minister should the council leadership fail to comply.
“We know the money is there. The councils just received increased allocations. If they refuse to pay, the Minister must withhold funds and pay workers directly,” the forum declared.
The group also recommended an emergency tripartite meeting between the FCT Administration, the Area Council Chairmen, and Labour leaders to break the deadlock.
“We cannot afford another week of this paralysis. The minister must act now before we lose more lives and futures to official negligence,” it warned.