The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has given the nod for the disbursement of N7 billion to address 25% of the accumulated salary arrears owed to primary school teachers in the FCT. This significant move was revealed by the Secretary for Education in the Federal Capital Territory Administration, Danlami Hayyo, during a recent familiarization visit to the FCT Universal Basic Education Board in Abuja.
Hayyo conveyed that the FCTA (Federal Capital Territory Administration) will be responsible for covering 40% of the outstanding arrears, while the remaining 60% will be the obligation of the Area Councils. Furthermore, he emphasized that the Administration has set a three-month timeline for both the Area Councils and the FCT to fulfill their financial commitments. The funds will be deducted at the source and subsequently remitted for this purpose.
During the visit, Hayyo expressed the intention to foster collaboration between the secretariat and the Board to effectively achieve their shared mandates. He acknowledged the positive efforts of the Board in securing counterpart funding, in addition to the BESDA account, to address existing challenges.
This decision comes in the wake of a protest staged by FCT primary school teachers just three days prior, highlighting concerns over salary payments. The teachers had called upon the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, and President Bola Tinubu to intervene in the matter.
The approved financial allocation is expected to provide relief to the primary school teachers and underscores the commitment of the FCTA towards resolving the persisting salary arrears issue.