Reported By Ariajegbe Esezobor Sylvia
The Federal Government has declared there is no going back on the concession of King’s College, Lagos, to its Old Boys Association, even as police forcibly reopened the 117-year-old institution’s gates on Wednesday following days of protests that shut down federal unity colleges across the country.
Minister of Education Dr Tunji Alausa, speaking at a press conference in Abuja on Wednesday, said the government had followed due process in reaching the decision and remained committed to the arrangement as a means of addressing longstanding infrastructure and management challenges at the college. He insisted the institution was not being sold and that the Federal Government would retain full ownership. “We haven’t sold it to them. The property still remains Federal Government property,” Alausa said, stressing that the government retains 100 per cent ownership. The Minister of State for Education, Prof. Suwaiba Ahmad, clarified that there were no plans to extend the concession arrangement to other unity colleges, describing it as specific to King’s College.
The minister’s declaration came as police in Lagos took over the premises of King’s College, Onikan, with Commissioner of Police Fatai Tijani leading an operation to dislodge protesting workers and force open the school gates. The confrontation followed a confrontation on Tuesday in which parents blocked members of the King’s College Old Boys Association from entering the school for a planned media briefing, forming a human barricade despite the presence of police. On Wednesday, armed policemen broke open the gates, and a young man was arrested for allegedly filming the operation. The Lagos State Chairman of the Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria, Olusola Omidiji, alleged that an elderly woman was dragged and pushed to the ground during the confrontation, describing the scene as resembling a war situation.
The crisis has its roots in a Federal Ministry of Education circular announcing the concession, which prompted the ASCSN to direct its members to suspend work at the college and, subsequently, at over 120 Federal Government Colleges nationwide. The unions argued that handing the historic federal school to its old boys’ association would have far-reaching implications for workers and the administration of federal unity colleges. They accused the minister of refusing to grant them an audience for about a month despite repeated requests. The Trade Union Congress and the ASCSN subsequently suspended their industrial action following an emergency meeting with the minister on Monday, during which a seven-member joint review committee was constituted to examine the concession document and address stakeholders’ concerns. The committee, which includes representatives of the ministry, the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment, the TUC, and KCOBA, has one to two weeks to submit its recommendations. Alausa gave a categorical assurance that no staff member would be dismissed or punished as a result of the arrangement, and that workers would retain their appointments and existing levels within the public service.
KCOBA has vigorously defended the arrangement, dismissing claims that the college has been sold. The association’s National President, Ibrahim Kassim Imam, said the college would be run in accordance with the principles upon which Federal Unity Colleges were established, and that school fees would not be increased. He disclosed that KCOBA had announced a N100 billion endowment fund as part of its plans to reposition the college and improve its infrastructure. “There is no willing seller or buyer of King’s College. The Federal Government is not selling, while KCOBA is not buying,” Imam said. The association’s Board of Trustees Chairman, Alhaji Femi Okunnu, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, described the arrangement as a matter of stewardship and service, not a bid for possession.
The controversy has exposed deep divisions among stakeholders. The Parent-Teacher Association has vehemently opposed the concession, with a former TUC chairman in Oyo State, Andrew Emelieze, questioning why old boys of military schools run by federal agencies were not seeking similar arrangements. “We won’t fall for their tricks. There is not going to be any concession of King’s College or any of the unity colleges,” he said. Alausa, however, accused the PTA of turning admission into a criminal enterprise, alleging it demanded as much as N20 million from prospective students. He also accused some directors in the ministry of fuelling the controversy by mobilising workers against the government’s decision and circulating misinformation.
The dispute has also reignited a broader debate about the privatisation of Nigeria’s federal unity colleges. The African Principals Conference Initiative condemned the proposed 35-year concession, expressing concern that it could undermine the public character of the institution and set a precedent for transferring other government-owned schools to private interests. Workers at the ministry have identified the Federal Government Academy, Suleja, as the next institution targeted for concession, a claim the government has not confirmed.
For now, the gates of King’s College are open under police guard, and the government’s position is unambiguous: the concession will proceed. But the seven-member review committee’s findings, due within two weeks, will determine whether the outstanding concerns of workers and other stakeholders are addressed or whether the standoff escalates further. KCOBA has said its agreement with the government is open for public scrutiny and has invited Nigerians to examine how the school has been run so far. The government has said King’s College is not for sale. The question that remains is whether the old boys can deliver the transformation they promise, and whether the workers, parents and students caught in the middle will accept an arrangement they have fought so hard to stop.
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