Social media activist and outspoken commentator, VeryDarkMan, staged a peaceful protest this morning at the gates of the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) headquarters in Abuja, alongside a group of school children, to draw attention to the ongoing strike by public primary school teachers in the FCT.
The protest comes amid growing frustration over the government’s failure to resolve the wage dispute that has kept public primary schools closed for over nine weeks. According to VeryDarkMan, the strike stems from internal issues regarding the non-payment of the promised minimum wage to teachers, who currently earn as low as ₦30,000 per month instead of the ₦70,000 and above promised by the federal government based on promotional levels.
“The children have missed an entire term’s exams because their teachers are on strike. The schools are locked. These kids are the ones suffering for a problem they didn’t create,” said VeryDarkMan, who used the entrance of the FCTA building as a symbolic “new school” for the protesting children. He expressed hope that this visual protest would prompt government officials to remember and address the plight of public school pupils.
In a direct appeal to the Honorable Minister of the FCT, Nyesom Wike, VeryDarkMan stressed the importance of basic education for every Nigerian child. “If Nyensom Wike didn’t get basic education, he wouldn’t have become a Minister today,” he said, calling out the apparent hypocrisy of government leaders whose own children are often schooled abroad or in expensive private institutions.
The activist also challenged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration, saying, “This is not what @officialasiwajubat promised the Nigerian people.” He emphasized the urgency of reopening the schools, reminding the Minister and other leaders that “you call them the leaders of tomorrow—how will they lead without basic education?”
The protest has drawn significant attention on social media, with many Nigerians echoing his concerns about the state of public education and government accountability.
