Wike on Tuesday said the unions had already engaged with the management of the FCT administration and that genuine grievances would be addressed through discussion.
Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has reacted to the ongoing strike by the Joint Action Committee of unions in Abuja, saying his administration remains open to dialogue but will not succumb to intimidation or blackmail.
Wike on Tuesday said the unions had already engaged with the management of the FCT administration and that genuine grievances would be addressed through discussion.
However, he warned that attempts to pressure the government through threats or coercion would not be entertained.
He said, “We are well disposed to dialogue, as I told you, they have met with the management. If genuinely there are issues, we would talk but if it's intimidation, blackmail, we would not agree. If you like go and hire all the civil servants."
The minister’s remarks come amid the industrial action affecting activities within the nation’s capital, as the Joint Action unions press for the resolution of outstanding demands.
Wike’s comments signal the FCT administration’s position that while negotiations remain open, governance will not be held hostage to what he described as intimidation tactics.
Earlier, SaharaReporters reported that the National Industrial Court of Nigeria (NICN), in Abuja, had ordered workers under the Joint Union Action Committee (JUAC) to suspend their ongoing strike action that had paralysed activities in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
Justice E.D. Subilim granted an interlocutory injunction filed by the Minister of the FCT, Wike, and the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) in suit number NICN/ABJ/17/2026, restraining JUAC and its leadership from continuing the industrial action.
The FCT Minister and the FCTA had dragged the Chairman of JUAC, Rifkatu Iortyer, and its Secretary, Abdullahi Umar Saleh, before the court, seeking an order restraining them, their agents and privies from embarking on, continuing or participating in any industrial action, including picketing or lockout.
Delivering his ruling on Tuesday, Justice Subilim held that although the dispute qualified as a trade dispute and had met the required legal conditions, the right of workers to embark on strike was not absolute.
He ruled that once a trade dispute had been referred to the National Industrial Court, workers were prohibited from participating in any strike, adding that where such action was already ongoing, it must cease pending the determination of the case.
The court adjourned the matter to March 23, 2026, for hearing of the substantive suit.