By Eunice Orike
Academic Staff Union of Secondary Schools (ASUSS), Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Chapter, has called on the FCT Administration to provide a housing scheme for teachers to ease the hardship caused by high accommodation costs in Abuja.
The FCT Chairman of ASUSS, Julius Ogundir, made the call in Abuja on Monday at the joint national celebration of the 2026 World Teachers’ Day.
Ogundir said the high cost of accommodation in the nation’s capital had forced some teachers to commute long distances from neighbouring states, while others had resorted to sleeping in school classrooms.
He acknowledged the transformation taking place in the FCT education sector under the Minister of the FCT, Nyesom Wike, but said more attention was needed to address the welfare of teachers.
According to him, improved teacher welfare would have a direct impact on the quality of education and the development of the country.
“If the government stands with the teachers, the teachers will be strong, if the teachers are strong, education will be strong. If education is strong, the nation will be strong.
“We have been hearing that the reward of teachers is in heaven, we don’t have to go to heaven before we start carrying our reward; let us enjoy it now,” he said.
Ogundir said although the FCT Administration had been paying teachers’ salaries promptly, the housing challenge remained a major concern affecting their morale.
He said many teachers working in areas such as Garki were living far outside the city because they could not afford accommodation within the FCT.
“Most of our colleagues, even in Garki here, are coming from Suleja or Abaji, and some are even sleeping in classrooms because they can’t afford houses in town,” he said.
To address the problem, the ASUSS chairman urged the FCT Administration to construct dedicated housing estates for teachers or make subsidised land available to them across the six area councils.
He said teachers depended mainly on their salaries and had no additional source of income to cope with the rising cost of accommodation.
“We are not politicians, we don’t have any other revenue that we are collecting from students.
“If they can provide housing estates for teachers, we will be more motivated and well-equipped to perform our duties,” Ogundir said.
Also speaking, a teacher at Junior Secondary School, Tungan Maje, Mrs Grace Philip, and expressed concern over what she described as the continued marginalisation of teachers.
“In everything they are doing in this country, teachers always come last,” she said.
Philip also raised concerns over delays in the promotion of teachers in the FCT, urging the authorities to pay greater attention to the challenges faced by teachers at the grassroots.
Meanwhile, the Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Senator Abubakar Bagudu, reaffirmed the Federal Government’s commitment to improving teacher welfare, professional development and funding for education
