Martins Otse, widely known as VeryDarkMan (VDM), orchestrated a significant protest on Monday, June 23, in Abuja, drawing attention to the ongoing indefinite strike by primary school teachers in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). The teachers, represented by the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), alongside healthcare workers and other council staff, have been on strike since March 24, demanding the immediate implementation of the new national minimum wage of N70,000 and the payment of outstanding salary arrears. This industrial action follows months of warning strikes and failed dialogues with authorities.

The protest, which took place at the entrance of FCT Minister Nyesom Wike’s office, aimed to pressure the government to resolve the dispute, which stems from the alleged failure of area council chairpersons to implement the agreed-upon minimum wage. Minister Wike had previously announced a plan to withhold 10 percent of the FCT's internally-generated revenue (IGR) statutory allocated to the area councils as a response to their non-payment of the minimum wage, a decision that has not yet ended the strike.

During the demonstration, VDM adopted a unique and impactful approach. He gathered schoolchildren, dressed in their uniforms, and organized an open-air classroom session directly at the minister's gate. In a creative and pointed manner, he taught the children alphabet rhymes that included references to political figures, such as “S for Suegbe, T for Tinubu, W for Wike.” VDM declared Wike’s gate to be the children’s