Our Offices Are A Mess - Abuja FCTA Workers Protest Poor Working Conditions, Irregular Salaries, Unpaid Allowances

Workers under the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) staged a protest at the FCTA Secretariat in Abuja on Wednesday to decry their poor working conditions, irregular salaries, lack of promotion, and non-payment of allowances and wages to auxiliary staff.

The protest, led by the Joint Union Action Committee (JUAC), drew hundreds of aggrieved workers to the gates of the secretariat, where they chanted solidarity songs and demanded urgent government intervention.

Speaking during the demonstration, JUAC President, Rifkatu Lortyer, outlined a litany of grievances which she said had gone unaddressed for months.

“We have not been promoted since 2023, and we have not gone on training since 2023,” Lortyer said.

“We started having fund deductions that go to the Federal Mortgage Bank, which is straight because we don’t understand what is happening.”

While acknowledging that salaries are paid monthly, Lortyer noted inconsistencies in payment dates and amounts.

“Though our salaries come monthly, it is not regular. When I say regular, it means we get a different figure today, a different figure tomorrow. Our salaries come two days into the new month,” she said.

She also declared solidarity with the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), which is currently on strike.

“We are also adding our voice to the NUT strike in solidarity,” Lortyer said.

She further drew attention to the plight of auxiliary workers under key departments such as the Abuja Environmental Protection Board (AEPB) and the Social Development Secretariat.

She said, “We are also fighting for our members, the auxiliary staff that work for AEPP, Social Development Secretarial, that have not been paid.”

“They are the ones that clear beggars and prostitutes on the road. They are also the ones that clear the street hawkers who are selling in the wrong places. They have not been paid for seven months and they keep crying to us,” she lamented.

According to her, many staff members have not received essential training to stay relevant in a fast-evolving work environment.

“There are so many other issues, staff have not been paid, and we wake up every day to the trend of new technologies, and if we are not trained to catch up with the trend, how do we meet up?”

One of the union’s key concerns is the non-payment of overhead costs since December 2024, which they say has severely crippled basic office operations.

“We demand all of these things. Overhead has not been paid since December 2024. When we say that overhead has not been paid since December 2024, people think we want money to steal, no,” Lortyer clarified.

“This overhead is from the recurrent expenditure that is given for the upkeep of the office. It is given for consumables in the office, like if your bulb goes off in the office, you should be able to replace it. If you need traders for your photocopiers and your printers, it is from there.”

She further explained that even cleaners, who rely on the overhead for their salaries, have been affected.

“If they feel otherwise about it, they should come to a round table discussion about it, but since December last year, no office has gotten it,” she said.

“And it is from this overhead that some cleaners are paid. Now, if you enter some of our offices, you won’t be able to stay. Nobody cleans the places. Our ‘traders’ are in a mess, and so many other things.”

Calling for dialogue with FCTA authorities, Lortyer emphasised that the workers are not seeking confrontation but cooperation.

“So, we really want to talk to our bosses so they can see it is not a confrontational thing, but a thing of, let us work well.”

However, as of the time of this press, no official response had been issued by the FCTA management.