The Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) has expressed concerns over a proposed plan by the six area councils’ chairmen in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) to only increase salaries by N40,000, instead of implementing the N70,000 minimum wage demanded by the union. According to the state secretary of NULGE in the FCT, Comrade Sa’ad Abdulmumin, the union has rejected this proposal, deeming it an affront to workers’ rights. The union is prepared to resist any attempt to implement this plan using all available industrial tools, including organizing a mega protest to demand full implementation of the minimum wage. NULGE is also monitoring monetary transactions within the councils during the strike and will report any suspicious activities to anti-graft agencies.

Adding to the labor unrest in the FCT, doctors in FCTA-owned general hospitals commenced a three-day warning strike, which has paralyzed activities. This strike coincides with ongoing strikes by health workers in primary health centers over unpaid new minimum wage and allowances. The Association of Resident Doctors initiated the strike following the sack of 127 health workers by the FCT Civil Service Commission, allegedly without due process. Patients visiting hospitals in Maitama, Asokoro, and Kubwa were largely unattended, with only critical cases being handled by consultant doctors.

Nurses are providing skeletal services in some hospitals, such as Abaji and Kwali General Hospitals, attending to minor cases and accident victims. Patients with complicated cases are being referred to private hospitals due to the absence of doctors. At Kuje General Hospital, only nurses were attending to patients, and many beds were empty. The Association of Resident Doctors, led by Dr. George Ebong, has threatened an indefinite strike if their demands are not met. These demands include the immediate reinstatement of the sacked health workers, payment of their April salaries, and the removal of the chairman of the FCT Civil Service Commission, Dr. Emeka Eze.