Wike Opens Door to Talks, Slams Blackmail as Court Orders FCTA Workers to Halt Strike

|By Chinwendu Nwani

The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has declared his readiness to engage in dialogue with striking workers of the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA), while warning that intimidation and blackmail will not sway his decisions.

Wike spoke on Tuesday in Abuja, hours after the National Industrial Court of Nigeria granted an interlocutory injunction compelling workers under the Joint Union Action Committee to suspend their ongoing industrial action.

Despite the court order, aggrieved FCTA workers insisted they would not resume duties, maintaining that although they were no longer actively protesting, they would remain at home.

Reacting to the development, Wike said his administration had consistently shown willingness to resolve the issues through dialogue, noting that several of the workers’ grievances had previously been addressed during engagements with management.

“We have been disposed to dialogue. They met with the management, and we discussed the issues. We have tackled them before,” Wike said.

He, however, accused the workers of acting in bad faith, alleging that agreements reached during discussions were often undermined by subsequent actions.

“They would say there is no problem and nothing would happen, but before you know it, they do something else,” he stated.

Wike stressed that he remains open to fresh talks if the workers demonstrate genuine commitment to resolving the dispute but drew a firm line against coercion.

“If they genuinely say they have seen what has happened, then we will talk. But if it is blackmail and intimidation, I will not agree. If you like, go and hire all the civil servants in the world, it is not my business,” he added.

The standoff continues as residents of the FCT await compliance with the court order and a possible breakthrough in negotiations between the government and the workers.