Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
Hundreds of angry parents and students of King's College, Lagos, brought traffic to a standstill along Marina Road on Thursday, August 27, 2026, as they took to the streets to protest the Federal Government's proposed concession of the 117-year-old institution to the King's College Old Boys Association (KCOBA). The demonstrators, who began their march at the school gate, moved through major roads linking the Tinubu-Shettima presidential campaign office in Marina to Tafawa Balewa Square and the National Museum, carrying placards with inscriptions such as "King's College is not for sale. Beware!!!" and "Federal Government, we say no to concession". The protest caused significant disruption around Marina, with the entrance to the Lagos State Government House also blocked by the chanting crowd.
Speaking during the protest, the Chairman of the school's Parent-Teacher Association (PTA), Peter Oluwaleye, delivered a blistering condemnation of the Federal Government's plan. He accused KCOBA members of "going around telling the whole world that they now own King's College, Lagos," describing such claims as "barbaric and satanic". "It is barbaric and satanic for old students to lay claim to the school that produced them," Oluwaleye declared. He argued that the old boys should instead focus on giving back to the institution through voluntary contributions rather than seeking to take over its management.
Oluwaleye questioned the capacity of the old boys' association to manage an institution of King's College's stature, particularly under the proposed 35-year concession arrangement. "We see these old boys' association members as businessmen that cannot run an educational institution of this magnitude," he said. He further alleged that the arrangement would turn the school into a revenue-generating venture, effectively commercialising the management of a public secondary school.
The PTA chairman revealed that parents had repeatedly communicated their opposition to the proposed concession to the Ministry of Education and the Presidency through various letters but had received no response. He stressed that the school is scheduled to resume on September 13, but parents are prepared to suspend the resumption and seek judicial intervention if the Federal Government fails to publicly address their concerns. "We have resolved that after this protest we are going to court. We will tell the federal government that it is its responsibility to educate the citizens," Oluwaleye declared. "We will ensure that there is no resumption in the school until we hear directly from the Ministry of Education. That is our resolution".
The protest comes amid growing opposition from the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) to the proposed concession of federal unity colleges across the country. In July, KCOBA President Kashim Ibrahim-Imam announced that the Federal Government had conceded the school to the association, describing it as the dawn of a new era and the commencement of what he called the "King's College Renaissance". The old boys' association reportedly launched a N100 billion endowment fund to reposition the 116-year-old institution. According to Ibrahim-Imam, the concession is intended to finance infrastructure renewal, teacher development, digital technology, scholarships, innovation, research and students' welfare.
However, parents remain adamant that the institution should remain under the control of the Federal Government. An ex-officio member of the school's PTA, Aje Olatunji, told PUNCH that the protest was organised because stakeholders did not want the school transferred to the private sector. Oluwaleye insisted that the old boys should instead support their alma mater through voluntary contributions and development projects rather than seek control of the institution. "We expected them to give back to the school voluntarily and generously. But they are saying they want to take over the school," he said.
The protesters maintained that King's College is a federal government institution and should continue to be managed in the public interest. "No private entity, no student should be left behind, no child should be left behind. It is the responsibility of the government to educate its citizens," a parents' representative declared. One of the prominent banners carried by the protesters was headed "KC OBA are Land Grabbers" and identified the demonstrators as members of the King's College, Lagos (KCL) Parents-Teachers Association, with a declaration: "We reject the privatisation of King's College under any guise. We say no to concession".
As the protest concluded, Oluwaleye reaffirmed the parents' resolve to fight the concession plan. "We cannot cede this prestigious institution to a set of businessmen. We say no to it. We will not accept it. We reject it," the protesters said. With the September 13 resumption date looming and the threat of legal action hanging over the Federal Government's plan, the fate of King's College, Lagos, one of Nigeria's most prestigious secondary schools, now hangs in the balance.
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