Abuja wey dey shine like diamond don enter serious wahala as workers from the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) and Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA) don start strike wey no get end in sight. Early Monday morning, dem don lock gates jujuman style, and no be joke o!
As e be, government offices dey jam, including the FCTA Secretariat wey security people don boost wella for gate. Our Correspondent waka go there around 8:10 a.m., and na heavy go-slow greet am. Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps and police dey gidigba for entrance, no let anybody enter. One security guy from the gbedu tell us say, ‘No be say we like am, but na strike we dey follow.’ So, everybody dey chill outside like say dem dey wait for bus wey no go come.
This strike no be small matter o! E dey shake everything wey get FCTA prefix inside Abuja. Dem don announce say dem go shut down all FCTA departments, agencies, area councils, and parastatals. Na the Joint Union Action Congress (JUAC) wey dem hold am. Dem dey vex say FCTA management no gree answer their calls or address serious welfare issues wey don dey for ground for long.
Dem don go drop seven days ultimatum since January 7, but like say dem get ear blocked, management no fit brush them. Last week, dem come put their foot down and say ‘No more work till una talk to us!’ Comrade Rifkatu Iortyer wey be JUAC President, na im lead the pack, while Secretary Abdullahi Saleh join am through thick and thin.
One of the gisting gist wey come from the Vice President of JUAC, Musa Istifanus, na say dem don fold hand for ground no be say dem no wan work but because dem don try plenty times to gree meet the Minister of FCT, but na jara talk! E come dey tell journalists say the main issue na welfare, including weak promotion issues wey don dangle like a bad-bloke story.
No be so dem don complain about the promotion exercise wey happen last November. Na CBT (Computer-Based Test) dem use do am, and e turn to wahala as many staff come dey fail. Istifanus talk am clear say, ‘Glitches plenty for the exam, as if dem no check the machines before dem put people inside.’ Imagine say out of every hundred, seventy-five fail? E no fit be exam at all! So, I wan ask, wetin happen?
Dem come dey raise alarm over money wey suppose enter their account since September last year, but na recently dem confirm say dem don pay one month out of five. ‘How dem want make us chop?’ Istifanus dey vex, and he dey give clearer signal say pension remittances wey suppose enter since May no don show face too.
As the strike dey happen now, it don turn to a serious matter wey fit make FCTA address these vexing issues if dem want to see workers resume work. JUAC don clear say dem go only call off the strike when dem see wetin dem dey demand don settle. E go better make dem talk, because for now, Abuja dey face serious standstill.
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