The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Barrister Nyesom Wike, has escalated the ongoing labour dispute within the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) by applying to the National Industrial Court of Nigeria for an order to commit striking workers to prison for alleged contempt of court.
The application follows the refusal of the striking workers to comply with an earlier directive of the National Industrial Court, which ordered them to suspend their industrial action and return to work pending the determination of the substantive suit before the court.
The workers, drawn from various unions within the FCTA and the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA), had embarked on an indefinite strike to press home demands relating to outstanding entitlements and welfare issues. The strike has significantly disrupted public services across ministries, departments, agencies, and area councils in the Federal Capital Territory.
On January 27, 2026, the National Industrial Court, sitting in Abuja and presided over by Justice Emmanuel Danjuma Sublimi, ruled that the workers must immediately halt the strike. The court based its order on provisions of the Trade Disputes Act, which mandate that once a trade dispute is formally referred to the court, all forms of industrial action must be suspended.
Despite the ruling, the workers reportedly resumed the strike, insisting that they had filed an appeal challenging the decision of the Industrial Court. The unions argued that the appeal justified their continued industrial action while awaiting a determination from the Court of Appeal.
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However, Wike, through his legal team, maintains that filing an appeal does not automatically operate as a stay of execution of a valid court order. According to the minister, the workers remain bound by the subsisting order of the National Industrial Court unless a formal stay is granted by the court.
As a result, Wike has approached the court to activate contempt proceedings by serving the workers with Form 48, a legal notice titled “Notice of Consequence of Disobedience of Court Order.” The notice warns that continued defiance of the court’s directive could lead to committal to prison for contempt.
The Form 48 was issued by the registry of the National Industrial Court and served through Wike’s counsel, Dr. Ogwu James Onoja, SAN. The notice formally alerts the workers and their union leaders to the legal consequences of refusing to obey the court’s order.
The FCT Administration has argued that allowing public sector workers to ignore court orders would undermine the authority of the judiciary and erode the rule of law. Officials insist that while dialogue remains an option, lawful processes must be respected by all parties.
On their part, labour leaders have continued to defend the strike, describing the court action as heavy-handed and insisting that the underlying issues that led to the industrial action remain unresolved.
The National Industrial Court has adjourned further hearing in the substantive matter to March 25, 2026, when arguments from both sides are expected to be fully examined. Until then, the court’s earlier order restraining the strike remains in force.
The development has sparked nationwide debate over the balance between workers’ rights to industrial action and the obligation to obey court orders, particularly in disputes involving essential public services within the nation’s capital.
