BY ABUBAKAR YUSUF
Aside the huge investment in Education sector of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT in the last two years of Barrister Nzenwo Nyesom Wike CON led administration, the resolution of perennial crises of teacher’s strike was finally brought to an end, through the wisdom and administrative wizardry of the Minister of the FCT.
For consecutive six months , primary school teachers were on strike in the FCT in 2015, that led to pupils at the primary and junior secondary school level losing a session in the 2025 school calendar.
But , due to the Minister of Federal Capital Territory, FCT intervention,the resolution was reached with funds provided for backlog payment of arears, aside conducive and expansive arrangements made to bridge the lost terms of the public students and public schools.
The Minister provided an enabling environment to meet the yearly calendar been observed by primary and Junior secondary schools in the FCT, with the arrangements for pupils to resume schools while they are supposed to observe the normal break or holidays.
The impossibility made possible by the FCT Education administration under the Minister , Barrister Nzenwo Nyesom Wike CON was rare and unique in the history of Nigeria education in Nigeria.
The maiden decision of the FCT led administration proved cynics wrong on the decision of the Minister to manage the crises on the long run.
The decision to bridge the lost period through the redesigning of the usual calendar operated by the school was a rare and commendable decision.
This included the massive construction, reconstruction and rehabilitation of dilapidated school structures across the FCT, including the construction of 100 public schools structures, training and retraining of all levels of categories of teachers , administrators and other categories of staffers of primary and junior secondary schools across the FCT.
The intervention also gave some leverage to area councils in charge of primary and junior secondary schools administration and management with the wisdom to continue to administer payments of all entitlements of teachers at that level .
The landmark decision of Barrister Nzenwo Nyesom Wike CON, the FCT Minister has not only put a stop to incessant strikes capable of disrupting the smooth operation of Basic Education, but professional commitment to duty so as to reduce to the barest minimum the scourge of Out of School Children, OOSC as well as other factors militating against education sector in the FCT.
What is desiring is the Education administrator’s cooperation and commitment to bestow a lasting educational development in the public schools across FCT and Nigeria at large.
For the Minister of FCT, Barrister Nzenwo Nyesom Wike,CON has broken the yoke of frequent strikes and the unending labour problems at that level .
Written BY ABUBAKAR YUSUF on yus.abubakar3@gmail.com.
