Reported by: Oahimire Omone Precious | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
The Federal Ministry of Education has urged parents and guardians to ensure that their children and wards return to their respective Federal Unity Colleges, declaring that the 2026/2027 academic session has commenced nationwide. The call was made by the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, in a statement issued on Monday night, September 21, 2026, through the Director of Press and Public Relations, Folasade Boriowo. The ministry said the minister had also reaffirmed the Federal Government's commitment to effective administration of the unity colleges and the provision of a conducive learning environment for students throughout the session.
The announcement came amid deepening confusion over the actual status of resumption across the 117 Federal Unity Colleges, with a faction of the Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria insisting that an indefinite strike remains in force despite claims by the ministry and a rival faction of the union that the industrial action had been suspended. The ministry also used the occasion to disown a body calling itself the National Parent-Teacher Association of the Federal Unity Colleges, declaring that it neither recognises nor authorised the group to speak for the colleges. It directed parents and members of the public to disregard any communications from the association, stressing that such directives have no official standing and advising reliance only on official communications from the ministry and the management of their respective colleges.
The dispute that triggered the crisis centres on the Federal Government's proposed 35-year concession of King's College, Lagos, to its old students' association. On September 17, 2026, the Minister of Education and labour unions reached a five-point agreement under which the workers agreed to immediately suspend their industrial action, paving the way for the reopening of the affected colleges. The agreement also provided for a two-week pause in the implementation of the proposed takeover of the management of King's College by the KCOBA, with a seven-member committee constituted to negotiate and critically examine the concession arrangement. The Federal Government also agreed that no worker would be victimised for participating in the industrial action, and policemen deployed to the premises of King's College would be redeployed.
However, that agreement has not held. By Saturday, September 20, 2026, the ASCSN had issued a communiqué rejecting claims that the strike had been suspended, insisting that only the union's recognised leadership had the authority to call off the industrial action. The union accused the Ministry of Education of acting in bad faith by failing to fulfil agreements reached during the earlier meeting with the minister. According to the communiqué, the minister had agreed to set up a broad-based committee involving all relevant stakeholders and release documents relating to the planned concession of King's College, Lagos, but neither promise had been fulfilled nearly a week after the meeting. The union also faulted the minister's media aide for announcing the suspension of the strike without its approval, describing the action as "null, void and of no consequence".
The ASCSN faction, led by Shehu Mohammed, declared that the strike affecting workers in the 115 Federal Unity Colleges, the Federal Ministry of Education headquarters, the Federal Education Quality Assurance Service, and the Science Equipment Centre would continue. The union also condemned the deployment of armed police to King's College, Lagos, alleging that officers forced open school gates, harassed peaceful protesters, and arrested a minor during the dispute. It described the development as a dangerous escalation and an unacceptable abuse of state power. The coordinators expressed what they described as a loss of confidence in the minister's handling of the dispute, accusing him of engaging with people who were not authorised to represent the union. "We hereby order our members nationwide to continue with the 'No Reversal of King's College Lagos Concessioning, No Resumption.' The ongoing strike continues," the union declared.
The ministry's decision to disown the National PTA is another layer of the crisis. The ministry clarified that the group operating as the "National Parent-Teacher Association of Federal Unity Colleges" is neither recognised nor authorised by the ministry, nor does it represent the PTAs across the Federal Unity Colleges nationwide. The association lacked the mandate to speak for the colleges, parents, or guardians, and any statement, directive, appeal, or communication issued by it has no official standing and should be disregarded by the public. Parents and guardians were advised to rely exclusively on official updates from the ministry and individual school management teams regarding academic activities and student welfare.
The contradiction between the ministry's resumption directive and the ASCSN faction's insistence that the strike continues has left parents and students in a state of uncertainty. The Federal Ministry of Education had directed principals to ensure that students who had not returned for the 2026/2027 academic session resumed on September 20, 2026, saying it had reached an agreement with labour unions. In a memo shared on September 18, the ministry said, "the Ministry has reached an agreement with the Labour Unions, hence resumption of academic activities in all Federal Unity Colleges should commence." It also directed principals to ensure that staff were available to receive returning students. But with the Shehu Mohammed-led ASCSN faction rejecting the latest agreement, PTAs in several colleges have advised parents to keep students at home until further notice.
The dispute has also drawn in concerned parents. Mr. Agunbiade Thomas, in an interview with Daily Independent, urged the minister to address issues raised by the National Parent-Teacher Association concerning the 35-year concession forced on King's College. He called on the Federal Government not to stampede NAPTAN but to respect the laws establishing the college and other unity colleges across the country. A widow and mother of two students at the college, Mrs. Patience Anthony, called on the old boys to support without the forceful takeover under the guise of concession. "Many of us chose to educate our boys at the college because of the quality education at reduced cost. We can't afford what the old boys are coming to impose on us," she said. She submitted that handing over the foremost college to the old boys would push their children out of the school and make learning unaffordable for the average Nigerian parent.
The Minister of Education has maintained that there is no going back on the proposed concession despite mounting opposition from workers, parents, and other stakeholders. He stressed that the government had followed due process in arriving at the decision and remained committed to the concession as part of efforts to improve the school's infrastructure, resources, and overall management. He maintained that the proposed 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. He also accused some directors in the Federal Ministry of Education of fuelling the controversy by mobilising workers against the government's decision, alleging that misinformation about the concession was being deliberately circulated.
For the 117 Federal Unity Colleges, the coming days will determine whether the academic session proceeds as scheduled or collapses under the weight of the unresolved dispute. The ministry has told parents to send their children back to school. The ASCSN faction has told its members to stay away until the concession is reversed. And in the middle are the students, whose education hangs in the balance while the adults fight over the future of one college and, by extension, the future of the entire unity school system. The ministry's directive that parents should rely only on official communications is a recognition of the confusion that has taken hold. But official communications will mean little if the teachers do not show up.
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