Martins Vincent Otse, Popular social media activist, widely known as VeryDarkMan (VDM), on Monday staged a symbolic protest at the gate of the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) by holding impromptu classes for children affected by the ongoing teachers’ strike in Abuja.
The protest was VDM’s latest move to draw attention to the lingering industrial action by primary school teachers under the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), which has kept pupils out of classrooms for over nine weeks.
Since March 24, 2025, teachers in the FCT have been on strike, citing the failure of Area Council Chairmen to pay the N70,000 minimum wage as agreed. The prolonged stalemate has disrupted learning for thousands of children in Abuja’s public primary schools.
VDM, who gathered a group of school-aged children and volunteers outside the FCTA gate, taught basic lessons in front of government officials and passersby.
Only two days earlier, the activist had taken to his Facebook page to call on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to investigate the situation.
He wrote:
“For over 9 weeks, our public primary school kids in the Federal Capital Territory have been out of school.
According to their books they claimed they are paying these primary school teachers 80 thousand naira and above depending on their level.
Sadly they lied to them because till now they are still being paid 30 thousand naira and upon this they have been owed salaries and for this reasons the teachers decided to go on strike.”
VDM also appealed directly to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, saying:
“@officialasiwajubat this is not the future you promised Nigerians. Our children will be limited to a brighter future without this basic education. @officialefcc please we demand a deep investigation on the board in charge of their salaries so as to clear this mess and send these innocent kids back to school.”
His action has since sparked discussions online, with many praising him for spotlighting the growing crisis in public education, especially within the FCT.
So far, there has been no official comment from the FCTA or the Area Council Chairmen regarding the protest.
