Lagos King’s College Concession Saga, FG Takes Fresh Action

The Federal Government has suspended the implementation of the proposed concession of King’s College, Lagos, to the school’s old students’ association for two weeks following a standoff with workers in the Federal Ministry of Education.

Politics Nigeria reports that the decision was reached after a meeting between the education ministers and leaders of the ministry’s labour unions on Wednesday night, following hours of protests and industrial action by workers over the proposed arrangement.

It was learnt that the meeting produced a five-point agreement, including the immediate suspension of the industrial action by the unions.

Under the agreement, workers who participated in the protest would not be victimised, while the implementation of the proposed takeover of King’s College by the old students’ association would be paused for two weeks.

The parties also agreed to redeploy policemen currently stationed within the school premises.

Another key resolution was the establishment of a seven-member committee to examine and negotiate the agreement between the Federal Government and the King’s College old students’ association.

A source familiar with the meeting said it commenced around 7pm on Wednesday after workers had earlier waited from 4pm.

The agreement came after workers staged coordinated protests in Lagos and Abuja to oppose the proposed concession and raise concerns about the welfare and administration of federal education institutions.

In Lagos, workers gathered at the premises of King’s College, chanting solidarity songs and demanding the removal of the Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa.

The protesters repeatedly chanted, “Alausa must go,” as they rejected the proposed concession of the federal unity school.

At the Federal Ministry of Education headquarters in Abuja, workers also shut the entrance to the premises, preventing Alausa and the Acting Permanent Secretary, Folake Olatunji-David, from accessing their offices.

The protests were organised by workers under the Joint Council representing four major staff unions.

The unions have argued that King’s College is a national educational asset that should remain under public management, warning that conceding the school could open the door for similar arrangements involving other federal unity schools.

Their concerns extend beyond the concession to issues including staff welfare, delayed promotions and the stagnation of Education Officers within the ministry.

The Joint Council Chairman, Onukhe Abraham, had questioned the rationale for concessioning King’s College when the Federal Government had approved the recruitment of more than 3,000 Parent-Teacher Association staff to address manpower shortages in federal unity schools.

“If Mr President has approved the employment of over 3,000 PTA staff, where will these new workers work if existing teachers are being displaced from King’s College?” he queried.

The unions were also opposed to a circular reportedly signed by the Acting Permanent Secretary directing teachers who could not remain at King’s College under the concession arrangement to seek postings to other schools in Lagos State.

According to the workers, the directive heightened concerns over job security and the future management of federal unity schools.

They insisted that King’s College should remain accessible to children from poor and working-class families, warning that changes to its management could affect access to quality public education.

“Once King’s College goes, others will follow. The children of the poor must be able to attend King’s College. It is one of the assets Nigeria has and it must not go that way,” Abraham said.

The unions had threatened to extend their industrial action to federal unity schools nationwide if the concession was not reversed.