Federal Government has commenced discussions with the Trade Union Congress (TUC), Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria (ASCSN) and other affiliated unions over concerns surrounding the proposed concession of King’s College, Lagos.
Gatekeepers News reports that the emergency meeting is being led by the Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, with the Minister of State for Education, Suwaiba Said Ahmad, and Acting Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Folake David, also in attendance.
The meeting followed the disruption of academic resumption in federal unity colleges nationwide by education workers protesting the concession arrangement.
The unions had directed workers in the federal unity colleges not to resume academic activities over the planned concession of King’s College to the King’s College Old Boys’ Association (KCOBA) under a public-private partnership arrangement.
The workers have expressed concern that the arrangement could threaten their jobs and affect the public ownership of the 117-year-old institution.
However, the Federal Government has maintained that King’s College has not been sold or privatised. Alausa said the government would retain legal ownership and continue to exercise regulatory, monitoring and oversight powers over the school.
Under the proposed concession, KCOBA is expected to finance, rehabilitate, modernise, operate and maintain the institution, while the government retains its statutory responsibilities.
The minister said the arrangement was designed to address the school’s infrastructure and operational needs and ensure its long-term sustainability.
The government has also assured workers that their interests would be protected during the transition. According to the ministry, affected employees would remain civil servants and could either stay at King’s College under the new administrative arrangement or move to other schools within Lagos State, depending on their preference.
A transition committee is also expected to be established to coordinate the process, ensure stakeholders are carried along and protect the heritage and objectives of King’s College.
The TUC General Secretary, Nuhu Toro, said the unions were seeking clarification on the proposed changes, particularly the implications of the term “concession”, which has generated concerns among workers.
The latest meeting is expected to provide an avenue for the government and labour unions to address the concerns and seek a resolution to the dispute that has affected the resumption of activities in federal unity colleges.
