By Peter Omopo
Abuja, June 30, 2025 — A civil rights group, the Assembly of Indigenous Youths of Abuja (AOIYEO), has dragged the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) and the six Area Councils of the FCT to court over the continued strike by primary school teachers and healthcare workers.
The lawsuit, filed at the FCT High Court on Monday, is marked CV/2484/25 and challenges what the group describes as a gross violation of the fundamental rights of Abuja residents—particularly schoolchildren and users of public health services—due to the protracted industrial action.
Primary school teachers and health workers employed by the Area Councils have been on strike for over 90 days, leaving schools closed and health centres non-functional across the territory.
In the suit, AOIYEO is seeking a series of declarations, including that the failure to provide primary education and healthcare for over three months constitutes a breach of constitutional rights to life, human dignity, education, and non-discrimination.
The group argues that children living within the six Area Councils are entitled to the same access to education and health services as their counterparts across the 36 states of the federation.
“A declaration that the failure to provide and maintain primary education within the six Area Councils for a period of over 90 days, without any hope of resumption of duties by the respondents, constitutes a violation of the constitutional duties of the respondents,” the court filing reads in part.
The youths are also invoking the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, demanding the enforcement of citizens’ rights to the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health.
The legal action marks a significant escalation in the response to the prolonged strike, which has drawn increasing public concern. No date has been set for hearing at the time of filing this report.
