VeryDarkMan leads protest in school uniform over FCT teachers’ strike

VeryDarkMan leads protest in school uniform over FCT teachers’ strike

Controversial activist and social media influencer, Martins Vincent Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan (VDM), staged a bold and theatrical protest on Monday, June 17, at the gates of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister’s office in Abuja, drawing national attention to the prolonged strike by primary school teachers in the FCT.

Dressed in a full school uniform and joined by a group of children similarly clad, VDM transformed the entrance of the minister’s office into a makeshift classroom.

The ongoing strike, which began on March 24, 2025, was launched by primary school teachers in protest against the refusal of Area Council Chairmen to implement the newly approved national minimum wage of N70,000. The teachers’ demands have so far been ignored, leaving thousands of pupils across the FCT without access to basic education.

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In a powerful display of civil disobedience, the influencer led the children in a mock lesson, reciting the alphabet loudly while highlighting the plight of pupils who have been out of school for over 90 days due to the strike.

“S for Suegbe, T for Tinubu, W for Wike,” he chanted, with the children loudly repeating after him, creating a spectacle that drew the attention of passersby and security operatives.

When approached by journalists for comments, VeryDarkMan declined to speak, maintaining that the premises of the Minister’s gate would remain the children’s new classroom until authorities addressed the issue.

At the time of filing this report, the children were seen having a lunch break of rice and chicken provided by VDM and his supporters.

The protest comes amid growing public frustration over the prolonged teachers’ strike, which has left thousands of schoolchildren stranded at home without access to formal education.

VeryDarkMan leads protest in school uniform over FCT teachers’ strike