Edino Chubiyo Cornelius 
ABUJA, Nigeria – FCT teachers’ promotion dominates protests in Abuja as members of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) demand an end to vacancy-based promotions, insisting that career advancement should depend solely on merit and success in promotion examinations.
The protest takes place on Monday at the National Open University of Nigeria headquarters, where the 2025 promotion examination for about 13,000 Federal Capital Territory Administration workers is being conducted.
Leading the demonstration, FCT NUT Chairman Abdullahi Shafas calls on Chairman of the FCT Civil Service Commission, Emeka Ezeh, to abolish the vacancy requirement for teachers seeking promotion.
Shafas argues that teachers deserve promotion based on merit rather than the availability of vacant positions, saying the existing policy unfairly limits career progression.
He says many teachers work under difficult conditions, particularly in rural communities affected by insecurity, making it inappropriate to apply the same promotion framework used for other civil servants.
According to him, delayed promotions reduce morale and discourage professionals in a sector already struggling with workforce challenges.
Shafas says the union is compelled to protest after repeated delays in resolving the issue, adding that teachers have left classrooms to press demands for fair treatment.
He rejects claims that the demonstration is politically motivated, insisting that it is solely aimed at protecting teachers’ welfare and career advancement.
Union Secretary Margaret Jethro also opposes the application of the general civil service promotion structure to teachers.
She argues that teachers should instead be managed under a dedicated Teachers Service Commission and reveals that although hundreds of teachers qualified in previous promotion exercises, only a small number were promoted.
Jethro demands that all teachers who passed the 2023 and 2024 promotion examinations be promoted before fresh examinations are conducted.
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Oluwatobi Adu 
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