The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) chapter of the Nigerian Union of Teachers (NUT) has alleged that the N4.1 billion released by FCT Minister Nyesom Wike for the implementation of the national minimum wage was diverted by the chairmen of the six area councils in the territory.
Speaking during an interview on Arise News, the FCT NUT Treasurer, Emmanuel Ameh, claimed that despite the release of funds meant to address the long-standing wage dispute, council chairmen repurposed the money as “signature allowance” instead of paying primary school teachers.
Public primary school teachers in the FCT have been on strike for over three months, protesting the non-payment of the new federal government-approved minimum wage.
Ameh recounted that after union leaders met with Minister Wike, the Minister swiftly approved the N4.1 billion and directed it to the area councils. However, the teachers were shocked to learn during a National Assembly Committee hearing that the council chairmen admitted receiving the money but insisted it was for a so-called “signature allowance”—a term the committee members reportedly found strange and undefined.
“The Minister approved the money, but when the National Assembly queried the chairmen, they said the funds were not for minimum wage but for ‘signature allowance.’ Nobody knows what that means,” Ameh lamented.
This revelation has sparked public outrage, as teachers remain unpaid while council officials fail to explain the purpose of the diverted funds.
The NUT says the strike will continue until the issue is resolved and teachers receive their rightful entitlements.