By Daniel Tyokua
The Academic Staff Union of Secondary Schools (ASUSS), Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Chapter, has directed teachers and education officers to ignore the indefinite strike declared by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) in Abuja.
ASUSS urged all secondary school teachers and education officers to report to their respective workplaces and continue with their normal academic and administrative duties.
The union also called on parents and guardians across the FCT to send their children to school, assuring them that academic activities would continue uninterrupted.
The directive was contained in a statement issued on Wednesday by the union’s State Executive Council (SEC) after an emergency meeting to review the industrial action called by the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), FCT Wing.
ASUSS rejected the stay-at-home order, arguing that the academic future of students should not be compromised by industrial disputes.
The union described the strike as premature and detrimental to educational stability in the territory.
The NLC FCT Council had on Wednesday declared a total and indefinite strike, shutting down public and private sector operations across the nation’s capital over unresolved welfare issues affecting FCT teachers.
In a communique signed by the NLC FCT Council Chairman, Comrade Knabayi S. Adalo, the council rejected the FCT Administration’s response to its ultimatum, describing it as “ambiguous, dismissive and totally unacceptable.”
At the centre of the dispute is the FCTA’s implementation of a “vacancy clause,” which conditions teachers’ promotions on the availability of vacancies within the established structure.
However, ASUSS maintained that the vacancy requirement remains a statutory provision of the Public Service Rules (PSR) governing establishment control and financial planning.
The union said any alteration to existing career structures should be addressed through administrative dialogue rather than industrial action.
On promotion, ASUSS said the administrative framework for affected teachers had already been resolved, noting that the 2025 promotion exercise would run concurrently with the 2026 promotion cycle under the FCT Civil Service Commission.
It said the arrangement was contained in circulars released in September 2026.
ASUSS also maintained that the redeployment of education agency directors to classrooms falls within management’s statutory powers to maintain administrative order.
The union further alleged that the strike was aimed at disrupting the scheduled 2025/2026 promotion examinations for FCT Education Officers.
It therefore directed all eligible education officers to participate in the promotion examinations according to the published timetable.
ASUSS also issued specific directives to secondary school principals, vice-principals and education officers to ensure the continued operation of schools.
It said all secondary schools must remain open for academic and administrative activities, while teachers must report to their classrooms and teach students diligently.
The union further directed school authorities to disregard instructions from unauthorised bodies aimed at disrupting the academic calendar and to monitor attendance while ensuring a safe and conducive learning environment for students.
ASUSS said students should not become victims of what it described as unnecessary industrial disruptions.
