Photo credit: Nathaniel Shaibu for The Punch
According to Punch, internet activist VeryDarkMan led schoolchildren in a symbolic protest to the FCT Minister’s office in Abuja on Monday. The protest highlighted the 3-month strike by primary school teachers over unpaid wages, using the phrase “Chalk and Chains” to dramatise the children's stalled learning.
- Teachers in Abuja have been on strike since March 24, demanding full implementation of the ₦70,000 minimum wage.
- The protest featured a mock classroom where pupils recited satirical rhymes directed at political leaders.
- VDM issued a 7-day ultimatum, threatening a larger protest if demands are not met.
- FCT officials acknowledged the protest, promising stakeholder engagement, but gave no deadline for resolution.
Chalk and Chains isn’t just a slogan; it’s the sound of learning silenced by policy delay. The children’s uniforms became protest signs, their voices the chalk squeaking through the stillness of abandoned classrooms.
What moment in your own life felt like being trapped between chalk and chains, waiting for someone to listen?
