Odita Sunday 
Odita Sunday
The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria has launched a scathing attack on the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, over the lingering teachers’ strike in Abuja, warning that continued neglect of workers’ welfare could trigger a “social explosion.”
In a statement issued by HURIWA’s National Coordinator, Emmanuel Onwubiko, and dated April 23, 2026, HURIWA blamed the crisis on what it described as the minister’s “insensitive, arrogant, and anti-worker disposition,” insisting that the failure to prioritise teachers’ welfare has paralysed public education in the nation’s capital.
The group said it was unacceptable that in a city as strategic and expensive as the Federal Capital Territory, the majority of public sector workers especially teachers remain on wages that are “grossly inadequate” and disconnected from prevailing economic realities.
HURIWA criticised the FCT Administration for allegedly focusing on infrastructure projects at the expense of human capital development, arguing that governance must go beyond what it termed “concrete and asphalt politics.”
“You cannot build flyovers over a collapsing education system or pave roads into a future where children are locked out of classrooms because their teachers are unpaid,” the group stated.
The rights organisation also condemned what it described as a double standard among political elites, noting that while top officials educate their children abroad, ordinary Nigerians are left with underfunded public schools plagued by strikes.
Describing the situation as a “moral failure,” HURIWA questioned the fairness of a system where teachers are neglected despite their critical role in nation-building.
The association called for a comprehensive overhaul of teachers’ remuneration, urging authorities to place educators on a salary structure comparable to that of medical doctors, stressing that “poor pay for teachers amounts to sabotaging Nigeria’s future.”
Among its key demands, HURIWA urged the immediate payment of all outstanding salaries and entitlements owed to FCT teachers, as well as urgent dialogue with unions to end the strike.
It further called for a review of salary structures to reflect current economic conditions, balanced investment in infrastructure and human capital, and institutional reforms to prioritise workers’ welfare.
The group warned that prolonged disruption of education could worsen insecurity, youth unemployment, and crime, emphasising that access to quality education remains critical to national stability.
HURIWA urged the FCT Administration to act swiftly to resolve the impasse, warning that continued inaction could provoke widespread public backlash.
“The time for excuses is over. Pay the teachers. Reopen the schools. Restore dignity to the workforce,” the statement read.
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