Reported by: Oahimire Omone Precious | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
The Federal Government has suspended for two weeks the implementation of the planned concession of King's College, Lagos, to its Old Boys Association, following a five-point agreement with labour unions in the Federal Ministry of Education that ended the industrial action that had paralysed academic activities in more than 100 Federal Unity Colleges nationwide. The agreement was reached at a meeting in Abuja on Wednesday, September 16, 2026, between the Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, the Minister of State for Education, Prof Suwaiba Ahmad, and representatives of the Joint Workers Union and the Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria.
Under the terms of the agreement, the workers immediately suspended the industrial action that had shut down Federal Unity Colleges across the country. The government assured that no staff member would be victimised or subjected to any punitive action for participating in the protest. The parties also agreed to a two-week pause in the implementation of the proposed takeover of King's College by the King's College Old Boys Association, allowing for further dialogue. Policemen deployed to the premises of the college were to be redeployed with immediate effect, and a seven-member committee was constituted to negotiate and critically examine the Federal Government's agreement with the Old Boys Association.
The resolution came after days of escalating tension at the 117-year-old institution. On Tuesday, September 15, protesting workers had prevented members of the Old Boys Association from entering the school premises, leading to a confrontation and police intervention. Earlier on Wednesday, a heavy police presence had taken over the school premises, with roads leading to the main gate cordoned off and motorists diverted to alternative routes. The Chairman of the Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria at King's College, Sam Enang, said the protesting staff had retreated from the school gate in the interest of their safety after learning of the heavy police deployment from the early hours of Wednesday. "They turned our compound into a police barracks," he said. "The police have taken over the two gates."
The dispute had been building for weeks. The Federal Government announced plans to concession King's College to KCOBA under a 35-year public-private partnership arrangement, arguing that the institution was facing significant infrastructure and management challenges that required private-sector expertise and investment. The unions opposed the move, describing it as disguised privatisation and insisting that funding public education remained a core government duty. The Trade Union Congress had directed its affiliates to commence industrial action across Federal Unity Colleges, leading to the closure of the institutions. The Federal Government, through the Minister of Education, insisted there was no going back on the concession despite mounting opposition, stating that the government had followed due process and remained committed to improving the school's infrastructure and overall management.
Alausa had also accused some directors in the ministry of instigating workers against the government's decision and alleged that misinformation about the concession was being deliberately circulated. He further accused the Parent-Teacher Association of King's College of turning admission into a criminal enterprise, alleging that the association demanded as much as N20 million from prospective students. The PTA has not publicly responded to the allegation. The minister maintained that the concession was not an abandonment of the institution by the Federal Government but a move intended to address infrastructure and management challenges and improve the quality of education at the college.
The agreement reached on Wednesday provides a two-week window for the seven-member committee to review the concession agreement and address the concerns raised by the unions. The committee is expected to examine the terms of the agreement, identify areas of concern, and recommend adjustments where necessary. The outcome of the committee's work will determine whether the concession proceeds as planned or whether further modifications are made to address the unions' grievances. For now, the immediate crisis has been defused, and academic activities are expected to resume in the affected Federal Unity Colleges.
The suspension of the industrial action and the pause in the concession implementation represent a significant de-escalation of a dispute that had threatened to disrupt the academic calendar for hundreds of thousands of students across the country. The agreement also underscores the importance of dialogue and negotiation in resolving industrial disputes in the education sector. However, the underlying issues that triggered the crisis remain unresolved. The unions remain opposed to the concession in principle, and the Federal Government remains committed to proceeding with the arrangement. The two-week window provided by the agreement is a critical period for both sides to find common ground and chart a way forward that addresses the concerns of all stakeholders while ensuring the future of one of Nigeria's most prestigious secondary schools.
For the students of King's College and the Federal Unity Colleges, the agreement brings relief after days of uncertainty. For the workers, it represents a temporary victory in their campaign against the concession. For the Federal Government, it is an opportunity to demonstrate that it is willing to listen to the concerns of stakeholders and adjust its policies accordingly. The coming weeks will determine whether the parties can build on this agreement to reach a lasting resolution or whether the dispute will flare up again. The eyes of the nation are on the seven-member committee and the two-week window that could determine the future of King's College.
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