Reported by: Oahimire Omone Precious | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
The Nigeria Labour Congress has rejected the Federal Government's plan to concession the management of Kings College, Lagos, warning that the move could lead to the privatisation of the nation's Unity Colleges through the back door. NLC President, Joe Ajaero, stated this in a statement issued on Sunday, September 20, 2026, against the backdrop of protests by various groups over the proposed concession of the college to its alumni association. Ajaero said the proposed concession was reportedly being considered as a pilot for similar arrangements involving other Unity Colleges.
According to the labour leader, the concerns that prompted the old students' association to seek control of the school's management arose from years of alleged neglect, underfunding, corruption, indiscipline and deteriorating facilities. He said the alumni's interest in taking over the management was therefore understandable, given their desire to restore the school's lost standards. However, Ajaero warned that the arrangement could create a precedent that would expose other government-owned secondary schools to concessions involving entities whose capacity to manage them might be uncertain.
"Once the Kings College Old Boys initiative succeeds, relying on precedent, other Unity Colleges will be concessioned to nebulous entities, entities of doubtful origin without the capacity to manage secondary school education," he said. The NLC president also expressed concern that concessioning could eventually lead to increased school fees and other charges, potentially making the colleges inaccessible to students from average-income families. He maintained that the responsibility for providing education remained a duty of the state, which, according to him, could not be abdicated through concession arrangements.
Ajaero said the government had previously taken over schools established by missionary organisations and therefore had a responsibility to continue funding and maintaining them. "Even in advanced economies, there are quite a number of schools, including universities, that are funded by government. Why would our case be different?" he asked. The NLC consequently endorsed protests against the proposed concession of Kings College and other Unity Colleges, urging the Federal Government to adequately fund and maintain the institutions.
According to Ajaero, the Unity Colleges have made significant contributions to national integration and quality education over the years. He urged the government to sustain competition among missionary, private and government-owned schools rather than concessioning public institutions. "Rather than sell the schools through the back door, government should maintain or sustain the culture of open competition between missionary schools, private schools and government schools," he said.
The NLC's intervention comes amid a growing storm over the proposed concession of Kings College to the King's College Old Boys Association. The controversy erupted in July 2026 when the association announced that the Federal Government had conceded the school to it under a 35-year Public-Private Partnership arrangement. The plan triggered protests from parents, teachers and civil society organisations, who argued that the concession would set a dangerous precedent for the remaining 114 Unity Colleges across the country.
The Federal Government has denied any intention to sell the Unity Colleges. Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, told journalists in Abuja on September 16, 2026, that the government had no plan to extend the concession arrangement to other Unity Colleges. "Federal Government, through the Federal Ministry of Education, does not have the intention to sell any Unity College, and we will not sell any Unity College," he said. He explained that the proposed arrangement with KCOBA was intended to mobilise additional resources to rehabilitate and modernise Kings College while retaining government ownership of the institution.
Alausa said the decision was driven by the extensive deterioration of infrastructure at the school, which he observed during an unannounced visit. He noted that the college had experienced a prolonged electricity problem and that parts of the school premises were being used as a paid car park, posing security risks to students. The minister also disclosed that the government had secured approval to repurpose about $20 million from a World Bank-supported programme for the comprehensive rehabilitation of selected Unity Colleges. He said about 20 schools had been selected for the intervention, noting that the accumulated infrastructure deficit across the 115 Unity Colleges could not be addressed through government funding alone.
Despite the government's denials, the dispute has escalated into a nationwide industrial crisis. On September 10, 2026, the Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria declared an indefinite strike across all 115 Federal Unity Colleges, the Federal Ministry of Education headquarters, the Federal Education Quality Assurance Service and the Science Equipment Centre. The union accused the minister's media aide of unilaterally announcing the suspension of the strike after a September 17 meeting with the minister. The ASCSN insisted that only its recognised leadership had the authority to call off the industrial action, and accused the ministry of failing to honour agreements reached at the meeting.
The Federal Government's handling of the Kings College concession has become a significant political liability. The opposition has seized on the controversy to accuse the administration of pursuing a privatisation agenda that would place quality education beyond the reach of ordinary Nigerians. The Catholic Bishops' Conference of Nigeria has also weighed in, calling on the National Assembly to reject the proposed Foreign Aid Bill, which it warned could give the government excessive control over independent civic space.
For the NLC, the Kings College dispute is about more than one school. It is about the principle that education is a public good, not a commodity to be sold to the highest bidder. Ajaero's warning that other Unity Colleges could be concessioned to "nebulous entities" reflects a deep-seated fear that the government's funding challenges are being used as a pretext to transfer public assets to private interests. The NLC's decision to endorse protests against the concession and to demand adequate funding for the Unity Colleges is a direct challenge to the Federal Government's education policy. The coming weeks will determine whether the government heeds the warning or proceeds with a plan that the labour movement believes could permanently alter the character of Nigeria's public secondary education system.
📩 Stone Reporters News | 🌍 stonereportersnews.com
✉️ info@stonereportersnews.com | 📘 Facebook: Stone Reporters News | 🐦 X (Twitter): @StoneReportNew | 📸 Instagram: @stonereportersnews
Add comment
Comments