Workers in Nigeria’s 115 Federal Unity Colleges have kept the schools shut despite the Federal Government’s directive for them to reopen for the 2026/2027 academic session.
The workers, under the Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria, ASCSN, and the Joint Congress of Unions of the Federal Ministry of Education, are protesting the concession of King’s College, Lagos, to the King’s College Old Boys’ Association, KCOBA.
The unions said in a statement on Sunday that the boycott of activities in all Federal Unity Colleges remained total until the government suspended the concession.
They also rejected the Federal Government’s directive for workers to resume, saying they would not be intimidated by threats of administrative sanctions.
“The directive for all workers to withdraw their services and boycott the resumption of all 115 Federal Unity Colleges remains total, absolute, and unchanged. “Until that is done, the gates of all Federal Unity Colleges remain firmly shut,” the statement read.
The development prevented newly admitted students from gaining entry into the colleges as teachers and other workers stayed away from their duties.
The dispute followed a September 4 letter from the Ministry of Education directing the immediate handover of King’s College to KCOBA after the conclusion of the concession agreement.
The ministry said a transition committee had been constituted to oversee the handover within six months, after which Federal Government funding for the college would cease. However, the Federal Government has maintained that King’s College has not been sold or privatized.
The Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, said in a statement on Saturday that the government retained legal ownership of the 117-year-old institution, while the concession transferred responsibility for financing, rehabilitating, modernizing, operating and maintaining the school to KCOBA.
“Let me assure Nigerians, particularly the King’s College community, that this concession is not a sale of King’s College.
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“The government has retained legal title to the institution and will continue to exercise its oversight responsibilities,” Alausa said.
The minister added that the agreement preserved the public character and national identity of the school, with admissions continuing under applicable Federal Unity College policies.
The unions, however, argued that the concession could set a precedent for other Federal Unity Colleges, raising concerns that other government-owned schools could eventually be handed over to private interests.
They also alleged that the Ministry of Education disregarded an earlier committee established to examine ways of addressing infrastructure deficits at King’s College and other Federal Unity Colleges.
According to the unions, the committee, which included ASCSN members and ministry officials, was expected to develop acceptable options for addressing the schools’ challenges before the concession was approved.
Speaking with The PUNCH on Sunday, the Chairman of the King’s College Parent-Teacher Association, Peter Oluwaleye, confirmed that the staff unions were maintaining the boycott.
“No student is resuming. We have made it clear on our different platforms. No resumption until further notice,” he said.
Oluwaleye said the action had affected Federal Unity Colleges nationwide, adding that union members were monitoring compliance with the directive at the schools. He further said the unions planned to extend the protest to the Federal Ministry of Education in Abuja.
Meanwhile, a member of KCOBA, who spoke anonymously, described the concession as a public-private partnership aimed at rehabilitating and modernizing King’s College.
He said the six-month transition period would allow the parties to finalize operational arrangements before the concession took full effect.
The dispute has disrupted the planned reopening of the Federal Unity Colleges as schools across the country commence the 2026/2027 academic session.
PUNCH
