By Nchetachi Chukwuajah
Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has taken the Joint Unions Action Committee (JUAC) of the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) to court over the ongoing strike by FCTA workers.
The suit was filed at the Abuja Division of the National Industrial Court of Nigeria (NICN) under Justice E. D. Subilim.
The claimants are the FCT Minister and the FCTA, while the defendants are the President of JUAC, Rifkatu Iortyer, and the Secretary-General, Abdullahi Saleh, sued in their representative capacities.
According to court documents, Wike and the FCTA are seeking an order restraining the unions and their agents from engaging in picketing, obstruction, lockouts, or any action directed at the claimants, departmental heads, and political appointees.
The claimants further accused the unions of blocking roads, shutting offices, and disrupting the smooth running of the FCT administration.
At the hearing of the application, the counsels to the claimants were present in court, while the defendants were absent.
The minister and the FCTA were represented by a team of senior lawyers, including Ogwu Onoja, SAN; M.A. Ebute, SAN; George Ibrahim, SAN; K.O. Mustapha and Esther Audu.
After reviewing the affidavits and written submissions, Justice Subilim held that the applicants had established sufficient grounds for the reliefs sought and granted leave for substituted service of court processes on the defendants.
In a ruling delivered on Wednesday, January 21, the court ordered that the defendants be served through a publication in Leadership Newspaper or any other national daily, as well as by pasting the processes at the JUAC office located at the FCTA Secretariat, No. 1 Kapital Street, Area 11, Garki, Abuja.
It ruled that this mode of service would be deemed valid and proper and adjourned the case to January 26 for motion on notice.
Recall that workers of the FCTA and the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA) commenced an indefinite strike on Monday, January 19, after the expiration of a seven-day ultimatum.
The striking workers grounded activities across major government offices in Abuja and shut down operations at the FCTA Secretariat, prompting the deployment of operatives of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) and the Nigeria Police Force to restrict access to the complex.
Despite claims by the FCTA management that most of the workers’ demands had been met, JUAC rejected claims and insisted that the issues that prompted the industrial action remained unresolved.
Reacting to the suit, JUAC vowed to continue the strike action despite the legal challenge.
In a statement issued on Thursday, January 22, and signed by its Publicity Secretary, Holina Adejoh, the union’s leadership commended workers for complying with its directive to stay away from work.
JUAC confirmed it was aware of the court action and stressed that it would not be intimidated into suspending the strike.
“The union wishes to bring to the notice of all staff that the Minister of the FCTA has taken us to court.”
“We will not relent in the struggle nor allow agents of oppression to cow us into submission. JUAC will not succumb to any form of intimidation or harassment by any means,” the statement added.
