Federal Government has suspended the implementation of the concession arrangement for King’s College, Lagos, with the school’s Old Boys Association for two weeks following protests by education-sector labour unions.
Gatekeepers News reports that the decision was reached on Wednesday after an emergency meeting between the Federal Ministry of Education and representatives of organised labour in Abuja. The agreement also led to the suspension of the industrial action declared by education workers over the concession arrangement.
Under the agreement, the government will pause the implementation of the proposed management takeover of the 117-year-old college by the King’s College Old Boys Association (KCOBA) for two weeks. A seven-member committee was also constituted to review and further discuss the agreement between the Federal Government and the old students’ association.
The government further agreed to redeploy policemen stationed at the school premises and assured workers that no staff member would be victimised for participating in the industrial action. Following the agreement, the Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria was directed to suspend the strike and workers in Federal Unity Colleges were expected to resume their duties.
The development followed growing opposition to the concession arrangement. Staff and parents of King’s College had protested against the planned transfer of the school’s management to KCOBA, with workers describing the arrangement as an attempt to privatise the federal institution.
Tension escalated on Tuesday when protesting workers and parents prevented representatives of the old boys’ association from entering the school premises. The confrontation prompted the intervention of the Lagos State Police Command, while a heavy police presence was later deployed around the college.
The Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, had maintained that the arrangement was not a sale or privatisation of King’s College, stressing that ownership of the institution remained with the Federal Government. He also clarified that the government had no plan to extend the concession arrangement to other Federal Unity Colleges.
The two-week suspension is expected to provide time for the seven-member committee to examine the concerns raised by the unions and engage with the terms of the agreement before the government proceeds with its implementation.
