The Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Wing, on Monday protested the use of vacancies as a prerequisite for the promotion of teachers, arguing that the policy would impede career progression and further erode morale within the education sector.
The demonstration disrupted the 2025 promotion examination for teachers, scheduled to take place at the headquarters of the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) in Abuja, where the FCT Administration is conducting promotion examinations for approximately 13,000 workers.
Led by Abdullahi Shafas, Chairman of the NUT FCT Wing, the protesters called on Emeka Ezeh, Chairman of the FCT Civil Service Commission, to remove the vacancy requirement from the promotion process for teachers.
Shafas maintained that teachers should be promoted on the basis of merit and successful performance in promotion examinations rather than the availability of vacant positions.
“The application of vacancy-based promotion for teachers is unjust and detrimental to the teaching profession,” he said.
“Teachers should be promoted based on merit and successful performance in promotion examinations rather than the availability of vacancies.
“We deserve special consideration because of the unique nature of our work and the difficult conditions under which many of us serve.”
He noted that teachers are deployed to schools across both urban and rural communities, with many working in areas affected by insecurity, including banditry and kidnapping.
According to him, making vacancies a condition for promotion would stagnate teachers’ careers and discourage professionals who are already among the lowest-paid public servants.
He added that some teachers still earn between ₦50,000 and ₦60,000 per month despite the rising cost of living.
“How do you survive on such a meagre amount while living in the nation’s capital?” he asked.
“Therefore, if a teacher sits for a promotion examination and passes, he or she should be promoted.”
Shafas urged the commission to engage the union through dialogue, warning that prolonged delays had forced teachers out of their classrooms in pursuit of what they considered their legitimate rights.
“Our members are not in the classrooms today because they are demanding what they believe is their legitimate right, but those who suffer most are the children,” he said.
He dismissed suggestions that the protest was politically motivated, insisting that the union’s demands were solely aimed at protecting teachers’ welfare and ensuring fair career progression.
Margaret Jethro, Secretary of the union, argued that teachers should not be subjected to the same promotion framework as core civil servants.
She renewed the union’s call for the establishment of a Teachers Service Commission for the FCT.
“You cannot use a law designed for core civil servants, who require office accommodation and official vehicles, to determine the promotion of teachers.
“Teachers only need their classrooms; therefore, the vacancy policy will not work for teachers,” she said.
Jethro disclosed that although 401 deputy directors passed the 2023 promotion examination, only 20 were promoted because of the vacancy policy.
She reiterated the union’s demand that all teachers who passed the 2023 and 2024 promotion examinations should be promoted before the 2025 exercise proceeds.
“The benchmark for promotion was set by the authorities, and qualified teachers should not be denied promotion after meeting the requirements,” she said.
Responding, Emeka Ezeh, Chairman of the FCT Civil Service Commission, said the promotion of FCT workers, including teachers, is governed by established regulations and rejected the union’s position.
“The system of government is guided by rules, and the commission is only implementing the guidelines for promotion,” he said.
Ezeh added that promotions could not be granted without available vacancies because of their financial and establishment implications.
