Controversial social media critic and influencer, Martins Vincent Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan (VDM), on Monday staged a symbolic protest at the gate of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister’s office in Abuja to demand an end to the lingering strike by primary school teachers.
Teachers across the six Area Councils of the FCT have been on strike since March 24, 2025—over 90 days—over the councils’ refusal to implement the new national minimum wage of N70,000.
In a dramatic display, VDM assembled schoolchildren dressed in uniforms and held an open-air classroom session in front of the Minister’s gate, where he taught them letters of the alphabet.
“S for Suegbe, T for Tinubu, W for Wike,” VDM called out, as the children repeated after him.
Addressing the protesters, the Mandate Secretary of the Area Councils Services Secretariat, Bitrus Garki, acknowledged the situation but described the matter as primarily under the jurisdiction of the Area Councils.
He added that the FCT administration had repeatedly intervened to help resolve the impasse.
“The FCT administration has been intervening in Area Council matters,” Garki said. “This responsibility is largely that of the Area Councils. But because this is the state and we have a relationship with the local government, we step in—on schools, infrastructure, and other issues.”
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He assured the protesters that the authorities were working to resolve the issue, although he could not commit to a definite timeline.
“We’ve heard your message loud and clear. I can’t stand here and say exactly when this will end, but discussions are ongoing with the Area Councils, the NUT, NULGE, NLC, and even traditional rulers to bring a solution,” he added.
Garki appealed for patience, stating that the FCT Minister is committed to ensuring the Area Council chairmen fulfill their responsibilities so that children can return to school.
In response, VDM issued a one-week ultimatum to the FCT administration to resolve the strike. He warned that if nothing changed, the protest would escalate.
“We’ve decided to give them a week. If by then the children are not back in school, we’ll return with more students from across the FCT,” VDM said.
He also announced that the next phase of the protest would focus on primary healthcare workers, who he said have also been denied the new minimum wage.
“Tomorrow is for the health workers,” he said. “Wike needs to see this. We’re not fighting him—we’re just reminding him. Maybe he has forgotten because he’s already preparing for the 2027 elections. He’s stressed. So we’ll give you one week.”