By Luminous Jannamike, Abuja

Nine civil society groups, advocating for the rights of the indigenous people of the Federal Capital Territory, on Sunday lamented the impact of the strikes by the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) and the Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) in Abuja, the nation’s capital.

The NUT commenced an indefinite strike over the shortfall in payment of staff salaries since January this year. They were joined by members of NULGE last week over a similar issue of unpaid salaries.

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The strike has paralysed academic activities in all public primary schools in Abuja with the six Area Councils in the FCT shut down.

In a joint statement, the nine CSOs bemoaned the effects of the lingering strikes and called for a speedy resolution of the issues that led to the industrial actions.

The groups are the Abuja Original Inhabitants Youth Empowerment Organization, the Abiodun Essiet Initiative for Girls, the Centre for Environmental Sustainability & Development Awareness, the Socio-Economic Research and Development Centre, the HipCity Innovation Center, the Mairo Women Foundation, the Centre for Transparency Advocacy, the Association of FCT Traditional Rulers Wives and the Helpline Foundation for the Needy.

They said, “Resolving these issues with immediate effect will accord original inhabitants and other residents of the FCT a continued enjoyment of key social services, which have been shut down since the disputes began.

“We call on all actors to heed the fact that by their actions and refusal to find lasting solutions, the basic rights of FCT Original Inhabitants; such as the right to quality basic education and healthcare services, are currently being denied.

“We lament that since the strike by the Nigeria Union of Teachers began in January, the public primary schools across the Area Councils have been closed resulting in a direct negative impact on the education of our dear children.

“Many parents are not able to afford to send their children to private schools, rely on the public school system which has now come to a complete halt.

“The downing of tools by the Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees over alleged nonrelease of Area Council allocations by the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA), has further compounded the plight of FCT original inhabitants.

“Because of the industrial action, key functions of the local governments, especially related to healthcare delivery at the grassroots and the prevention or curtailing the spread of diseases have been put in abeyance.

“It is important for all to note that given the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on lives and livelihoods of original inhabitants, it is paramount that critical social services are not curtailed and that they continue to be provided in better quality and quantity.

“These strikes have a direct and disruptive effect on the lives of people already affected by the pandemic.

“We are currently implementing a two-year project focused on promoting the rights of the Original Inhabitants in the FCT. As such we clearly recognize ongoing efforts and recent steps towards reforms and citizens engagement by the Ministry of the Federal Capital Territory.

“It is therefore highly disconcerting that the authorities will allow industrial disputes to fester and undermine its otherwise commendable efforts at governance reform and citizen engagement.

“We admonish that if the situation is not quickly addressed, it could further worsen the plight of FCT Original Inhabitants who are already suffering from decades of historic marginalization and economic dislocation.

“We, therefore, call for sustained efforts by the authorities to speedily resolve the issues at stake and restore normalcy to the governance of the Area Councils.”