ABUJA — Pupils in public primary schools in the Federal Capital Territory have lost more than 180 school days to at least six major strikes since September 2023, according to a Weekend Trust special report.

The latest strike by FCT workers began on 7 October and was suspended on 20 October, with teachers told to return to class on 21 October. A strike from March to July 2025 ended only after the six area councils released N16 billion.

Parents interviewed said they had paid for private lessons, moved children to private schools or sent them to learn trades during the strikes. The FCT chairman of the Nigeria Union of Teachers, Abdullahi Mohammed Shafas, rejected a rule linking promotions to available vacancies and denied that the strikes were political. The FCT Administration did not respond to requests for comment. Education experts warned that repeated strikes would push more children out of school.