Very Dark Man

Popular social media critic Martins Vincent Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan (VDM), staged a protest on Monday at the entrance of the residence of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, in Abuja, over the ongoing strike by primary school teachers.

The protest follows Wike’s recent declaration to withhold 10 per cent of statutory allocations to area councils for failing to implement the new minimum wage for primary school teachers — a move that has prolonged the teachers’ strike and left pupils out of school.

As part of the demonstration, VDM gathered a group of children dressed in school uniforms and conducted a makeshift class in front of the minister’s gate. Standing before the children, he taught them the alphabet, using names in a satirical tone. “S for Suegbe, T for Tinubu, W for Wike,” he called out, as the children echoed each letter after him.

VDM declared that the minister’s residence would now serve as the pupils’ new classroom until the matter is resolved. The protest has drawn reactions on social media, with many calling attention to the broader implications of the education crisis in the FCT.