The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has said the FCT Administration is not responsible for the payment of salaries to public primary school teachers, insisting that the duty falls entirely on the six Area Councils.
Wike made the clarification during a meeting with stakeholders including chairmen of the Area Councils, officials of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), and representatives of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) as efforts continue to resolve the ongoing teachers’ strike across the territory.
He explained that, unlike other parts of the country, the FCT operates full local government autonomy, meaning the Area Councils are solely responsible for running and funding primary education, including teachers’ salaries.
“The FCT Administration shouldn’t be blamed for what the councils are meant to handle,” Wike said.
To help ease the crisis, the minister said the FCTA had stepped in with a bailout plan
offering to clear 60% of the owed salaries, while the Area Councils would handle the remaining 40%. But after the councils failed to deliver their part, Wike ordered the withholding of their Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) for May and June to settle the teachers’ outstanding wages.
The clarification comes amid growing concerns over the prolonged closure of public primary schools in the FCT, leaving thousands of pupils out of class.
