{"id":125240,"date":"2026-01-26T15:37:35","date_gmt":"2026-01-26T14:37:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/?p=125240"},"modified":"2026-01-26T15:37:35","modified_gmt":"2026-01-26T14:37:35","slug":"students-sent-home-in-as-nut-strikes-accuses-wike-of-focusing-on-rivers-politics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/news\/students-sent-home-in-as-nut-strikes-accuses-wike-of-focusing-on-rivers-politics\/","title":{"rendered":"Students Sent Home in as\u00a0 NUT Strikes, Accuses Wike of Focusing on Rivers Politics"},"content":{"rendered":"<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">By Oscar Okhifo<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Thousands of students across the Federal Capital Territory were sent home on Monday as the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) and other striking workers under the Joint Unions Action Committee (JUAC) enforced a sudden work stoppage, demanding that FCT Minister Nyesom Wike address their unresolved grievances.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The strike has once again disrupted schooling, leaving innocent children as the main victims of a standoff many say reflects the minister\u2019s focus on Rivers State politics over his duties in the capital.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Schools across Abuja were reportedly closed as teachers walked out in protest, paralyzing classrooms and leaving parents frustrated.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\u00a0Eyewitnesses reported that attempts by authorities to negotiate with the unions were met with resistance, as chants of \u201cWike must go\u201d and \u201cThief, thief\u201d echoed outside schools and government offices.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The strike comes shortly after Minister Wike returned from London, where he attended his son\u2019s graduation ceremony, and follows the recent reopening of public schools that had been closed for over three months during a previous strike.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\u00a0Many Nigerians are questioning why President Tinubu has not sacked the minister to enable him\u00a0 focus on Rivers State politics, arguing that his priorities appear misaligned with the urgent needs of the FCT\u2019s residents and workers alike.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The FCT NUT has warned that the strike will continue until the minister and the FCT administration provide a concrete response on pending salary arrears, welfare issues, and other outstanding agreements.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\u201cIt is disheartening to see our children sent home like this. The government must act fast to resolve this issue,\u201d one frustrated parent lamented.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Another parent added, \u201cOur children have barely returned to school after more than three months of closure. Now, they are at home again because of politics. It\u2019s unacceptable.\u201d<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">As at the time of reporting, no official statement had been issued by the FCT Minister\u2019s office regarding the strike or any negotiations with the unions.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">With schools already struggling to recover from prolonged closures, parents and education stakeholders are watching closely, hoping that Minister Wike will prioritize the needs of the FCT\u2019s students over political interests in Rivers State.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The situation remains fluid, and unless urgent interventions are made, students may face extended disruptions in their academic calendar, further compounding the challenges faced by public schools in the capital.<\/div>\n<!-- AddThis Advanced Settings generic via filter on the_content --><!-- AddThis Share Buttons generic via filter on the_content --><!-- AddThis Related Posts generic via filter on the_content -->","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By Oscar Okhifo Thousands of students across the Federal Capital Territory were sent home on Monday as the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) and other striking workers under the Joint&hellip;<!-- AddThis Advanced Settings generic via filter on wp_trim_excerpt --><!-- AddThis Share Buttons generic via filter on wp_trim_excerpt --><!-- AddThis Related Posts generic via filter on wp_trim_excerpt --><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":125241,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-125240","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.8 - 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