Federal Unity Colleges nationwide reopened on Monday, after weeks of protests by the senior civil servants and parents over the concession of King’s College, Lagos to the King’s College Old Boys’ Association (KCOBA) by the federal government.
As a result of the impasse, all 117 colleges were shut down, and academic activities were grounded, as a result of protests by the workers and parents who kicked against the concession plan.
BusinessDay correspondent who visited King’s College, Lagos, confirmed that the students have resumed academic activities as they were seen seated in their various classes waiting for the teachers.
However, a chat with Samuel Enag, unit chairman of the Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria (ASCSN), revealed that the resumption is tentative.
‘We have resumed tentatively, for 14 days, to monitor the outcome of the minister’s meeting with the Trade Union Congress, the Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria and other affiliated unions.
‘We still maintain our stand on reversion of the proposed concession of King’s College, Lagos. The old boys can contribute to the development of their alma mater, but not to take over the management of the school,’ he said.
Meanwhile, a parent who spoke with BusinessDay reporter said they were sent a circular last week on the resumption.
‘We received a notice last week that students should resume today, and were given seven days to pay the fees, though they’re yet to tell us how much the fees are,’ the parent said.
Recall that BusinessDay had reported that ASCSN called off its strike over the concession of King’s College, Lagos, clearing the way for the reopening of the country’s Federal Unity Colleges.
A communiqué issued on Wednesday showed the resolution followed a meeting in Kano on Tuesday between the leadership of the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC), the ASCSN and zonal coordinators of the Unity Schools.
The union leaders agreed to suspend the industrial action to give a seven-member committee room to review the concession document for King’s College.
The strike had kept all Unity Colleges shut for about two weeks after the ASCSN and the Parent Teacher Association protested the federal government’s decision to concede King’s College to its old boys’ association.
The colleges were due to resume on September 13, but workers boycotted the date, arguing that the concession threatened the future of the Unity College system.
According to the communiqué, the TUC, ASCSN and zonal coordinators reviewed both the agreement earlier reached between labour and the Federal Ministry of Education and the King’s College concession document, before resolving ‘to suspend the ongoing strike action in the Unity Colleges to enable the seven-man committee to review the concession document.’