RismadarVoice Reporters
January 23, 2026
Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has dragged the Joint Unions Action Committee (JUAC) of the Federal Capital Territory Administration to court over the ongoing strike by FCTA workers, with the matter set for a hearing on Monday.
The industrial action, which began on Monday, followed the expiration of a seven-day ultimatum, halting activities across major government offices in Abuja, including the FCTA Secretariat.
Security operatives from the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps and the Nigeria Police Force were deployed to restrict access to the secretariat.
While the FCTA management claimed that most of the workers’ demands had been addressed, JUAC insisted that critical issues remained unresolved.
The lawsuit, filed at the Abuja Division of the National Industrial Court of Nigeria under suit number NICN/ABJ/17/2026, names Rifkatu Iortyer, President of JUAC, and Abdullahi Saleh, Secretary-General, as defendants in their representative capacities.
The claimants are the FCT Minister and the FCTA.
According to court documents, the minister and the FCTA are seeking an order restraining the unions from engaging in picketing, obstruction, lockouts, or any action directed at departmental heads and political appointees.
The Unions were accused of blocking roads, shutting offices, and disrupting the smooth running of the FCT administration.
During the hearing, the claimants were represented by a team of senior lawyers, including Ogwu Onoja (SAN), M.A. Ebute (SAN), George Ibrahim (SAN), K.O. Mustapha, and Esther Audu, while the defendants were absent.
On January 21, Justice E. D. Subilim granted leave for substituted service of court processes on the defendants.
The order allows the court documents to be served through publication in Leadership Newspaper or any national daily, as well as by pasting them at the JUAC office at the FCTA Secretariat, No. 1 Kapital Street, Area 11, Garki, Abuja.
The judge ruled that this mode of service would be deemed valid and proper.
The case was adjourned to January 26, 2026, for a motion on notice.
Meanwhile, JUAC has vowed to continue the strike, despite the legal challenge.
In a statement issued on Thursday, signed by the union’s Publicity Secretary, Holina Adejoh, the union commended workers for complying with the directive to stay at home and insisted that the strike would continue until their demands are met.
The statement read in part: “We will not relent in the struggle nor allow agents of oppression to cow us into submission. JUAC will not succumb to any form of intimidation or harassment by any means.”
JUAC further appealed for unity among workers, urging continued compliance with the strike directive.
