As the strike by health and education workers across the six Area Councils of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) enters its fourth month, civil society organisations have raised alarm over the escalating human cost and long-term damage to society.
In an open appeal addressed to FCT Minister Nyesom Wike, Area Council Chairmen, National Assembly members representing the FCT, and relevant secretariat heads, a coalition of over 40 pressure groups and well-meaning individuals urged immediate dialogue with striking workers to resolve their grievances and prevent future disruptions.
“True leadership is not in shifting blame but in rising to the occasion to protect those most affected by this crisis, our children, our sick, and our poor,” the statement read.
Under the aegis of the FCT Civil Society Organisations Accountability Mechanism Network (FCT-CAM), the civil society actors demanded that the Minister of the FCT exercise his authority to facilitate a swift and lasting resolution.
The six Area Council Chairmen were also urged to act in good faith and prioritise the welfare of citizens above political calculations.
Furthermore, legislators were called upon to leverage their oversight functions and representative powers to push for urgent resolution and policy safeguards.
“This is no longer just an administrative issue; it is a test of our collective conscience. The time for excuses is over. The time for decisive leadership is now,” they said.
The coalition warned that each passing day of inaction endangers lives, jeopardises the futures of children, and constitutes a dangerous failure of governance.
They called on political and administrative leaders to act with urgency and moral responsibility, describing the continued paralysis of essential services as “an unacceptable mortgage on the future of the FCT.”
According to FCT-CAM, which coordinated the appeal, the prolonged strike has left thousands of children locked out of classrooms, with no access to public education.
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It noted that as public frustration deepens and the most vulnerable continue to bear the brunt of the deadlock, all eyes are now on the FCT leadership to show that governance can still mean responsibility, responsiveness, and care.
“Our children are roaming the streets. Their learning has been halted. The educational divide between the rich and the poor is widening by the day,” the group said, warning that the consequences of educational disruption at this scale could reverberate for generations.
The impact on healthcare is equally dire, they noted, adding that primary healthcare centres have remained closed, cutting off access to essential medical services for the most vulnerable, the children, pregnant women, the elderly, and people with chronic illnesses.
“Preventable conditions are going untreated. Community health is deteriorating. Lives are being lost needlessly,” the coalition stressed, adding that denying people healthcare and education is not only unjust but in direct contradiction to Nigeria’s development and equity goals.
The appeal was signed by a network of development, health, education, gender, and youth-focused organizations, including the Civil Society Action Coalition on Education for All (CSACEFA), Vaccine Network for Disease Control (VNDC), Basic Rights Watch, Centre for Accountability and Inclusive Development, and Health Education Agriculture Development Africa Initiative (HEARD Africa).
Others include the Good Governance Team (GGT Nigeria), Regima Community Care Foundation, Nigerian Women Agro Allied Farmers Association (NIWAAFA), Michael Adedotun Oke Foundation, Cedar Seed Foundation, and the Centre for the Right to Health (CRH).
In addition, notable advocates and community leaders also endorsed the appeal, including Aanu’ Rotimi, Princess Hamman-Obels, and Arch. Lola Ibrahim, Lois Auta, Oba Imole, Chika Offor, and Amb. Ojineme Enakeme, among others.
The coalition, however, reaffirmed its readiness to support all sincere efforts toward resolving the strike and restoring services.
“We urge you to act now, reopen our schools, reopen our healthcare centres, and restore hope in a functional, compassionate society,” the coalition maintained.