FCT AREA COUNCIL WORKERS TO BEGIN RECEIVING N70K MINIMUM WAGE
After weeks of protests and deadlock, workers in three of the six area councils in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT)—Abaji, Gwagwalada, and AMAC—have finally begun receiving the new national minimum wage of N70,000. The payments were confirmed by local teachers and council staff, who told reporters they had received salary alerts reflecting the new rate.
One such worker in Abaji, Shuaibu Abdullahi, expressed relief at receiving the long-awaited salary increase. “I had to withdraw the money immediately to settle debts and buy food and school supplies for my kids,” he said.
The remaining councils—Kwali, Bwari, and Kuje—are yet to implement the new wage, citing insufficient monthly allocations. Council chairmen claim that even the N4.17 billion released by FCT Minister Nyesom Wike wasn’t specifically for wage implementation, a claim the minister’s office has disputed.
The Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) has warned that any council attempting to shortchange workers by paying only N40,000 will face intensified resistance. The union remains firm in its demand for full compliance with the federal directive, while workers in the unpaid councils continue their industrial action.
