Popular social media activist, Martins Vincent Otse, known widely as VeryDarkMan (VDM), on Monday, June 23, took his protest to the residence of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Nyesom Wike, over the ongoing strike by primary school teachers that has left pupils out of school for over 90 days.
Pulse Nigeria reports that the controversial influencer assembled a group of uniformed schoolchildren outside the minister’s gate in Abuja, where he held a symbolic class session, teaching letters of the alphabet in what many called a pointed jab at political leaders.
“S for Suegbe, T for Tinubu, W for Wike,” he recited, as the children repeated after him, a dramatic callout aimed at spotlighting government inaction.
The strike, which began on March 24, 2025, stems from the refusal of Area Council Chairmen to implement the new national minimum wage of ₦70,000 for primary school teachers, leaving thousands of pupils stranded at home across the FCT.
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In response to the protest, Bitrus Garki, Mandate Secretary of the Area Councils Services Secretariat, acknowledged the depth of the crisis but shifted responsibility.
“This responsibility is largely the responsibility of the Area Councils,” Garki said, while adding that the FCT administration had intervened “multiple times” to mediate between the councils and the unions.
![VDM gathered school children dressed in uniform & organized class where he taught the children letters of the alphabet. [X, formerly Twitter/@Neologisenews]](https://image.api.sportal365.com/process/smp-images-production/pulse.ng/23062025/48cf7180-a8d0-489e-a5b5-fb35a43c67b9.jpg)
VDM gathered schoolchildren dressed in uniform and organised a class where he taught the children the letters of the alphabet. [X, formerly Twitter/@Neologisenews]
VDM gathered schoolchildren dressed in uniform and organised a class where he taught the children the letters of the alphabet. [X, formerly Twitter/@Neologisenews]
He assured protesters that the issue was being addressed through multi-stakeholder engagement.
“We have received you, and your message has been heard loud and clear. Traditional rulers, the NUT, NULGE, and NLC have all been at the table. It’s a process, and we’re working towards a solution,” Garki said.
Despite the assurances, VDM issued a seven-day ultimatum to the FCT administration to resolve the issue.
“If they don’t do anything and the children are not back in school, we will come back with more students,” he said, threatening to escalate the protests by mobilising pupils from across the FCT.
He also vowed to lead another protest the next day, this time in support of striking primary healthcare workers, who are yet to receive the minimum wage.
“This is just to remind Wike. Maybe he has forgotten. He’s preparing for 2027, but he’s stressed. We are not fighting him, just reminding him,” VDM said.
As the standoff continues, the FCT remains without functional primary schools, and now, it seems, without peace at the minister’s gate.
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