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Court To Deliver Ruling Today In FCTA Vs JUAC Strike Case.
The National Industrial Court of Nigeria (NICN), Abuja, is set to deliver its ruling today (Tuesday) in the suit filed by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, and the FCT Administration (FCTA) against the Joint Union Action Committee (JUAC) over an ongoing strike that has crippled major government offices in the nation’s capital.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶
The case was adjourned after lawyers to both parties adopted their arguments on Monday before Justice E.D. Subilim.
In the suit marked NICN/ABJ/17/2026, the FCTA listed JUAC Chairman, Rifkatu Iortyer, and Secretary, Abdullahi Umar Saleh, as defendants, seeking an interlocutory injunction to restrain the union from further strike actions, picketing, or lockouts.
The industrial action commenced last Monday following the expiration of a seven-day ultimatum and has since disrupted operations across key FCTA offices, including the FCTA Secretariat, where security personnel were deployed to restrict access.
While the FCTA insists that most of the workers’ demands have been met, JUAC maintains that several fundamental issues remain unresolved.
During Monday’s proceedings, counsel to the union, Maxwell Opara, urged the court to dismiss the FCTA’s application, arguing that granting the reliefs sought would amount to determining the substantive matter at an interlocutory stage.
Relying on the Supreme Court decision in Opara Agwu & Anor v. Julius Berger Plc, Opara cautioned that compelling workers to resume duties while salary issues remained unsettled could be counterproductive. He also asked the court to consider directing the FCT minister to submit to arbitration.
After hearing submissions from both sides, Justice Subilim adjourned the matter to January 27 for ruling on the application for injunction.
Speaking to journalists after the session, counsel to the claimants, James Onoja (SAN), argued that the defendants lacked juristic personality. He contended that JUAC was neither registered under the Companies and Allied Matters Act (CAMA) nor recognised under the Trade Union Act.
According to him, “Those who called the strike are an illegal body. JUAC is not registered under the Trade Union Act, and as such, it has no authority to declare a strike. That is our position before the court.
“The government is willing to listen. Mediation was ongoing before they headed to court. There are laid-down procedures before declaring a strike, and those procedures were not followed.”
Opara, however, countered that the union had written no fewer than 11 letters to the minister, outlining its grievances and requestingeeking mediation, insisting that the dispute ought to have been resolved through alternative dispute resolution mechanisms.
“This is an attempt to intimidate workers through the courts. Is dialogue not enough? We made it clear that the proper step was mediation, not an application to force hungry and angry workers back to work. That is even more dangerous,” he said.
On the decision to seek the joinder of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC), Opara explained that the defendants were sued in their personal capacities.
“If the court orders the strike to be called off, such an order would only bind two individuals. But JUAC operates under Labour and TUC, and both bodies have already issued directives calling for solidarity actions. That makes them necessary parties to this suit,” he argued.
The 2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) began nationwide on Thursday, with over 2.2 million candidates expected to participate across accredited centres.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶
The exam, conducted by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), will run from April 16 to April 22 in multiple daily sessions.
JAMB Registrar, Prof. Is-haq Oloyede, urged examination officials to remain highly committed and professional, noting that the success of the exercise depends largely on their dedication.
He gave the charge during a virtual final briefing for technical officers ahead of the examination, where he also praised staff, ad hoc personnel, service providers, and technical advisers for their roles in the successful conduct of the mock exam.
Oloyede said many of the issues recorded during the mock exercise were due to poor assessment of centres by some technical officials.
He further stated that incentive packages would be awarded to teams that perform exceptionally, particularly in handling exam materials and submitting timely reports.
Reiterating JAMB’s zero-tolerance stance on malpractice, he warned candidates against bringing prohibited items into examination halls.
He also disclosed that biometric verification and real-time monitoring systems have been deployed to protect the integrity of the exercise.
Candidates whose biometrics cannot be verified, he added, will be rescheduled to write the exam at approved centres.
Meanwhile, a NAN correspondent monitoring proceedings at Aduvie International School, Jahi, reported that the first session scheduled for 8:30 a.m. began slightly behind schedule at about 8:40 a.m.
The Commissioner of Police for the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), CP Ahmed Muhammed Sanusi, on Thursday inspected security deployments at Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) Computer-Based Test (CBT) centres across Abuja.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶
According to the FCT Police Command spokesperson, SP Josephine Adeh, the inspection is part of proactive measures to ensure a smooth, peaceful, and hitch-free conduct of the ongoing examinations.
The UTME is scheduled to run nationwide from April 16 to 18, 2026.
During the exercise, CP Sanusi assessed security arrangements put in place to safeguard candidates, examination officials, and CBT facilities.
He also engaged with centre supervisors, assuring them of adequate security presence throughout the examination period.
Adeh added that the CP reaffirmed the command’s commitment to maintaining law and order, warning that any attempt to disrupt the examinations would be met with decisive action in line with the law.
Over 700 former terrorists who have undergone deradicalisation and rehabilitation are set to be reintegrated into their communities.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶
The Nigerian military has also dismissed reports alleging that beneficiaries of Operation Safe Corridor are being recruited into military institutions.
According to African Independent Television, the Coordinator of Operation Safe Corridor, Brigadier-General Yusuf Ali, made this known during a media tour of the Deradicalisation, Rehabilitation and Reintegration Centre in Gombe, North-East Nigeria.
He said many Nigerians still misunderstand the Federal Government’s structured counter-terrorism initiative, which is designed to restore peace in communities affected by insurgency.
Brigadier-General Ali explained that the programme focuses on rehabilitation and peaceful reintegration of repentant individuals into society.
During the tour, some of the participants also shared accounts of their involvement in offences that led to their admission into the programme.
The facility inspection was part of preparations for the graduation of over 700 clients who have completed the deradicalisation and rehabilitation process and are set for reintegration.
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