Sowore's criticism comes amid mounting public outrage over the prolonged closure of schools across the FCT due to a strike by the Nigerian Union of Teachers (NUT) and the Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE).

Human rights activist and former African Action Congress (AAC) presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, has knocked the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, over his misplaced priorities amid an ongoing shutdown of public schools and area councils in Abuja. 

In a statement shared on his verified X (formerly Twitter) handle, Sowore accused Wike of waging “a war on the poor and the future” by allocating billions of naira to lavish, non-essential infrastructure projects, while public education and local governance in the nation’s capital remain paralyzed.

"While Tinubu’s FCT Minister @GovWike is allocating and blowing billions of naira on non-essential projects like the Abuja Conference Centre, all public schools and area councils in the FCT have been shut for three months, leaving teachers unpaid and local government workers abandoned. This is not governance; it is a war on the poor and the future,” Sowore posted, using the hashtags #RiseUpFCT and #EducationIsPower.

While Tinubu’s FCT Minister @GovWike is allocating and blowing billions of naira to non-essential projects like the Abuja Conference Centre, all public schools and area councils in the FCT have been shut for three months, leaving teachers unpaid and local government workers… pic.twitter.com/uRTZcfW4m2

— Omoyele Sowore (@YeleSowore) June 20, 2025

Sowore's criticism comes amid mounting public outrage over the prolonged closure of schools across the FCT due to a strike by the Nigerian Union of Teachers (NUT) and the Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE), both of which are protesting unpaid salaries and poor working conditions.

The shutdown, now in its third month, has affected thousands of students and disrupted academic calendars in the six area councils of the FCT—Abuja Municipal, Bwari, Gwagwalada, Kuje, Abaji, and Kwali—leaving parents and communities deeply frustrated.

The AAC had accused the FCT Administration of failing to honour agreements reached with the teachers, including the implementation of the proposed ₦70,000 minimum wage and the payment of outstanding allowances.

The African Action Congress (AAC), Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Chapter, described the prolonged industrial action by primary school teachers — now entering its 90th day— as a case of heinous neglect.

The party asserted that the strike is a direct result of the administration’s “callous indifference” to the plight of educators and the future of schoolchildren in the nation’s capital.

In a press statement released on Wednesday, AAC FCT Chairman, Agena Robert Ande, described the industrial action as stemming from the administration’s blatant disregard for the welfare of teachers and the education sector at large.

The AAC accused the FCT Administration of failing to honour agreements reached with the teachers, including the implementation of the proposed ₦70,000 minimum wage and the payment of outstanding allowances.

The FCT Administration is headed by Nyesom Wike, who serves as the FCT Minister.

According to the party, the refusal to meet these obligations represents a “brazen disregard” for the welfare of workers and a stark betrayal of public trust.

The AAC also criticised the administration’s spending priorities, alleging that it favours “grandiose and wasteful projects” over essential social services.

The party cited the multi-billion-naira rehabilitation of the International Conference Centre (ICC) and other capital-intensive projects as examples of misplaced priorities, suggesting that such ventures serve only to enrich political allies and cronies.

Meanwhile, FCT Minister Nyesom Wike has continued to announce high-profile urban development projects, including the multi-billion-naira refurbishment of the Abuja International Conference Centre, several interchange flyovers, and estate infrastructure upgrades. 

Critics argue that while such projects may enhance the capital’s aesthetics, they do little to address urgent socioeconomic needs.

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