Parents and staff at King’s College, Lagos, on Monday, held a peaceful protest against the Federal Government’s plan to hand over the college to the alumni association.
The protesters carried placards with various inscriptions, including ‘We say no to King’s College concession,’ ‘Alausa must go,’ ‘It’s government’s responsibility to fund education properly,’ ‘King’s College is a national heritage,’ and ‘King’s College is not for sale.’
The demonstrators warned the college’s Alumni Association, which is central to the dispute, to steer clear of taking over the school and to leave its ownership entirely to the Federal Government.
The Monday action disrupted academic activities at the college and threatened the resumption of the remaining 114 unity schools across the country.
The schools were originally scheduled to reopen on Monday (yesterday) for the 2026/2027 academic session.
The workers, operating under the aegis of the Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria (ASCSN) and the Joint Congress of Unions of the Federal Ministry of Education, alongside parents, vowed to sustain the protest until the Federal Government cancels the concession plan and commits to funding all unity colleges properly.
They also called on President Bola Tinubu to intervene immediately and outrightly cancel the government’s plan to concession the college.
Speaking with journalists, Mr. Olatunji Ojulari expressed total disappointment in the Federal Government, particularly targeting the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, for moving to concession the institution, which he described as a national heritage.
He argued that handing the college over to the private sector would make it inaccessible to average Nigerians, who would be unable to afford the school fees that would inevitably follow.
Similarly, the ASCSN Unit Chairman for King’s College, Mr. Samuel Enang, stated that to resolve the impasse and reopen the school gates, the government must immediately meet two non-negotiable conditions.
These include halting the college’s concession process and inviting the unions to a transparent, round-table dialogue.
While warning that the industrial action is a defensive step to protect public education, the unions urged their members to stand firm against administrative intimidation, official roll calls, or threats of sanctions from the ministry’s management.
The unions revealed that the Ministry of Education bypassed a joint committee previously set up to address school infrastructure decay, opting instead to concession the premium institution.
Labour leaders argue that this decision sets a dangerous precedent that threatens the survival of affordable, quality public education in Nigeria.
‘Our strike is not merely an industrial dispute over welfare; it is a patriotic battle to save public education,’ Mr. Enang stated. ‘If they succeed with King’s College today, every other Federal Government College in Nigeria will be sold to private interests tomorrow.’