Hundreds of public school teachers under the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Wing, on Monday staged a protest at the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN), Abuja, disrupting the ongoing 2024 promotion examination and demanding the immediate conclusion of the delayed promotion exercise.
The aggrieved teachers, who converged on the examination venue in Dutse-Alhaji, rejected the controversial “vacancy rule,” insisting that it has unjustly stalled the promotion of qualified teachers despite meeting all statutory requirements.
Carrying placards with inscriptions such as “Complete the 2024 promotion exercise now,” “Teachers are not pool staff,” and “Our services count, not empty chairs,” the protesters accused the FCT Civil Service Commission of frustrating their career progress of Teachers.
The union is demanding the immediate release of all outstanding 2024 promotion letters, full implementation of the financial benefits attached to the promotions, payment of outstanding entitlements and the abolition of the vacancy rule, which it described as alien to the teaching profession.
According to the protesters, hundreds of teachers have remained on the same grade level for years due to delays in the promotion process, a development they said has adversely affected morale and productivity in public schools across the Federal Capital Territory.
Speaking during the protest, union leaders maintained that teachers should not be subjected to a vacancy-based promotion system after successfully passing promotion examinations and fulfilling other requirements.
“Teachers in the classroom should not be placed under a vacancy system. Once they are due for promotion, they should be promoted,” the union insisted.
The protest comes barely two months after the NUT suspended its prolonged strike following the intervention of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, who pledged to address teachers’ outstanding welfare issues, including reviewing the 2024 promotion exercise and removing the vacancy requirement for promotions.
Despite those assurances, the teachers said the promises had yet to translate into concrete action, prompting Monday’s demonstration.
The protesters warned that they would continue their action and withdraw their services if the Federal Capital Territory Administration and the Civil Service Commission failed to address their demands without further delay.
Monday’s protest disrupted activities at the promotion examination centre, highlighting growing frustration among FCT teachers over delayed career advancement and unresolved welfare issues.
