Workers Shut Down Education Ministry Over King’s College Concession, Threaten to Close 115 Unity Schools

• As APCI raises the alarm, demands reversal of 35-year concession of college Kuni Tyessi in Abuja and Funmi Ogundare in Lagos Workers of the Federal Ministry of Education on Thursday shut down the ministry’s headquarters in Abuja in protest against the reported 35-year concession of King’s College, Lagos, to its old boys’ association. Under the Joint Workers Union (JWU), comprising Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria, ASCSN, and four other unions, the workers threatened to indefinitely shut down the ministry and all 115 Federal Unity Colleges nationwide if the concession was not reversed. In a related development, African Principals Conference Initiative (APCI) called on the federal government to immediately halt the proposed 35-year concession of King’s College, Lagos, warning the planned cessation of budgetary allocations to the institution amounts to an abdication of the government’s responsibility to fund public education. Director-General, Joseph Ayodele, in a statement, expressed concern over what he described as the opaque process surrounding the proposed concession, insisting that King’s College and other Federal Unity Colleges are national public trusts and should not be treated as commercial assets. He stated that the college was nurtured over decades through public investment and forms part of the federal government’s broader educational policy aimed at promoting national unity and providing access to quality education. The protest by workers of the Federal Ministry of Education followed the ministry’s announcement of the transfer of King’s College to its old boys’ association. The workers, who barricaded the ministry entrance, carried placards with inscriptions such as ‘Tinubu must hear this’, ‘Alausa must go’, and ‘No resumption of Unity Colleges in Nigeria’. A union official who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the protest was also triggered by the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa’s alleged refusal to meet with the JWU for about a month despite repeated requests to discuss staff welfare issues. The workers said the concession could lead to downsizing and job losses. “By the time you privatise, you are downsizing, you sack people, and the union will not accept this,” the official said. They warned that allowing the King’s College arrangement to stand could set a precedent for the concession of other Unity Colleges. The union also accused the minister of outsourcing core ministry functions to consultants and special advisers, instead of using directors and senior officers. Other grievances include unpaid allowances owed to staff who participated in 2024 activities such as data collection and capacity-building. The official said some workers borrowed money for the assignments but were yet to be reimbursed. Despite efforts by the Acting Permanent Secretary and other senior officials to address them, the protesters insisted on meeting directly with the minister. The JWU said the protest will continue from 7am on Friday and that all 115 Unity Colleges will remain shut until their demands are met. Workers in South-West schools have also announced plans to halt activities. The union called for an immediate review of the King’s College concession and the removal of Dr. Alausa, arguing that government should strengthen public schools instead of handing them over to private interests. Director-General of the African Principals Conference Initiative (APCI) further argued that the operation, funding and maintenance of the Unity Colleges are subject to national education policies and annual budgetary appropriations, stressing that significant structural changes to such institutions should be subjected to legislative scrutiny. Ayodele expressed particular concern over the reported plan to stop budgetary allocations to the college under the proposed long-term concession arrangement. “Such move is an abdication of constitutional responsibility. Education is a fundamental public good that should not be surrendered to private, alumni-led or other non-state management models, the director general stated. He also raised concerns over the lack of transparency surrounding the proposed concession, saying details of the terms, operational arrangements and accountability mechanisms of the planned handover had not been adequately disclosed to the public, education professionals and other stakeholders. According to him, “the concession could also lead to the commercialisation and elitism of public secondary education by increasing the cost of education and undermining the equity and accessibility principles upon which the Federal Unity Colleges were established.” He also warned that any major restructuring of public educational institutions should not bypass the National Assembly, noting that such institutions derive their legitimacy and funding from legislative appropriations. While acknowledging and encouraging philanthropic contributions, infrastructure endowments and mentorship programmes by alumni associations, Ayodele said such support should not be confused with professional educational administration and pedagogical governance. He stated: “professional educators should retain administrative autonomy in the management of schools as historical experiences had shown that removing educators from core administrative responsibilities could create friction and undermine academic standards.” He therefore urged the federal government to make public the detailed terms, agreements and operational framework of the proposed college’s concession.