“Wike’s Gate Is Now Their Classroom” – VDM Teaches Children Alphabet During Protest Over Teachers’ Strike

Popular activist VDM has taken the ongoing teachers’ strike in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) to a dramatic new level — by turning Minister Nyesom Wike’s gate into a makeshift classroom.

Dressed in a school uniform, VDM stood shoulder-to-shoulder with schoolchildren, who also wore uniforms and carried banners demanding their right to education. In a powerful scene, the activist taught them the alphabet right at Wike’s residence, but with a satirical twist.

“S for Suegbe, T for Tinubu, W for Wike!” he called out.
The children echoed him, drawing cheers and online buzz.

To show genuine care for the kids affected by the strike, VDM provided rice and chicken during a lunch break — a gesture that left many emotional.

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The teachers’ strike, which began on March 24, 2025, stems from the failure of FCT’s six Area Council Chairmen to implement the ₦70,000 national minimum wage. Despite a ₦4.1 billion release by the federal government to settle arrears, the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) says most of that money was diverted into “signature allowances” and other non-educational expenses.

Many teachers are still being paid as little as ₦30,000 and are owed a 40% Peculiar Allowance and a ₦35,000 federal wage award.

VDM, known for shaking tables with his unique style of protest, refused interviews but declared that the protest classroom will remain at Wike’s gate until action is taken.

“This is just to remind Wike. Maybe he has forgotten,” he said.

His protest even turned tense when security operatives fired teargas to disperse the children and supporters — an act he described as “insensitive and shameful.”

FCT Minister Nyesom Wike, who previously blasted the councils for neglecting teachers, confirmed that he withheld their 10% IGR allocation in a bid to force payment compliance. He has since set up a committee to direct funds straight to teachers, but with no clear resolution, pupils remain stuck at home.

Meanwhile, the NUT Chairman, Abdullahi Shafa, has demanded an EFCC and National Assembly probe into the misuse of funds.

And as violence continues to rock Benue and other parts of Nigeria, VDM’s activism is spreading, with plans to also protest for striking primary healthcare workers next.