Social media personality and outspoken activist, Martins Vincent Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan (VDM), led a demonstration on Monday outside the residence gate of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) in Abuja, calling attention to the prolonged strike by primary school teachers.
The strike, which began on March 24, 2025, has now dragged on for more than three months. It stems from the failure of Area Council Chairmen to implement the newly approved N70,000 minimum wage.
To make a statement, VDM arrived at the protest site with a group of schoolchildren dressed in their uniforms. He conducted a symbolic lesson at the gate, teaching the alphabet in a pointed fashion: “S for Suegbe, T for Tinubu, W for Wike,” which the children repeated after him.
Bitrus Garki, Mandate Secretary of the Area Councils Services Secretariat, addressed the gathering, clarifying that the matter lies largely with the Area Councils, though the FCT administration has stepped in to help.
“The FCT administration has been intervening in Area Council matters,” he said.
“This responsibility is largely the responsibility of the Area Councils. But because this is the state and we also have a relationship with the local government, that is why we come in to intervene in many cases, not just as regards to school, including infrastructure, and many other things.”
Garki noted that while the councils operate independently, discussions are underway with key players to resolve the issue.
“These are collaborative efforts, the local governments are duly elected and they are also a tier of government on their own,” he explained.
Though unable to provide a clear resolution timeline, he assured the protesters that their concerns had been received.
“We have heard what you have said, and we have received you, but what I can guarantee you is that your message has been heard loud and clear, and the authorities will sit on this matter and see that it is addressed.
As to when this will happen, because this is multi-faceted and involves stakeholders’ collaboration, which has been happening. I can’t stand here and say this is when it is going to end,” Garki added.
He also highlighted that leaders from traditional institutions and representatives of workers’ unions—including the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE), and the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC)—were involved in the ongoing talks.
“Just to mention, recently, even the traditional institutions, the traditional rulers who are also within my office, have called in the union to discuss and dialogue this matter, and they have also referred their solutions to our desk, which we are also looking at to see that this matter is addressed,” he said.
He urged the demonstrators to remain calm, assuring them that the Minister of the FCT was actively engaging Area Council Chairmen to ensure schools reopen soon.
In his response, VDM issued a one-week deadline to the FCT authorities, threatening a larger protest if there was no concrete action.
“We have decided to give them a week. In the meantime, if they don’t do anything and the children are not back in school, we will have to come with more students. We will invite students from the whole FCT to come. So we are giving a week, and hopefully, we will get a positive result,” he declared.
He also mentioned plans to hold another demonstration the next day to highlight unpaid healthcare workers within the FCT.
“On the issue of primary healthcare, I hope you people are still talking about that. If you are not, we will do primary healthcare tomorrow. Today is for the students. We are going to do for primary healthcare,” he said.
VDM wrapped up his remarks by saying the protest was not aimed at attacking the minister personally.
“It’s just for Wike to be seeing, we are not fighting him. Let him just see so that he will remember, maybe he has forgotten. He’s preparing for the 2027 election, but he has forgotten. He’s stressed, he nearly fell from the plane. He’s stressed. So we will give you one week,” he added.
