The Federal Government (FG)has insisted that King’s College, Lagos, will not be sold despite growing opposition to the decision to concession the management of the institution to its Old Boys Association.
Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, said on Wednesday that the government would retain ownership of King’s College and other Federal Unity Colleges, describing the concession as an alternative approach to addressing the institutions’ longstanding infrastructure and management challenges.
His clarification came amid heightened tension at King’s College, Onikan, where policemen were deployed following protests by parents, workers and unions against the concession arrangement.
The development followed an altercation on Tuesday involving protesters, police officers and members of the King’s College Old Boys Association (KCOBA).
By Wednesday morning, police vehicles and officers had cordoned off roads leading to the school, while motorists approaching from the Tafawa Balewa Square axis towards CMS were diverted.
Speaking after a meeting at the college, KCOBA National President, Ibrahim Kassim Imam, maintained that the association was not acquiring the school from the government.
He said the agreement with the Federal Government was designed to preserve the principles of Federal Unity Colleges, including federal character in admissions.
Imam also assured parents and other stakeholders that the concession would not turn King’s College into an elitist institution or lead to an increase in school fees.
He disclosed that the proposed N100 billion endowment fund would be invested to generate sustainable revenue for the institution if sufficient contributions were raised.
Former Nigerian Bar Association President, Olumide Akpata, accused some individuals of misrepresenting the concession arrangement and said parents and staff had been involved in discussions preceding the agreement.
However, opposition to the arrangement has continued, with workers and unions expressing concerns over the broader reforms being proposed by the Ministry of Education.
In Abuja, Alausa said the government was forced to consider alternative funding and management models because the infrastructure deficit in the Federal Unity Colleges had accumulated over decades.
He argued that conventional government funding would not be sufficient to address the challenges facing the institutions.
The minister also disclosed that the government had intelligence indicating that some ministry directors were allegedly mobilising workers against its policies, although the claim was not independently established in the statement.
Meanwhile, the Federal Unity Colleges remained shut on Wednesday as the industrial dispute continued.
Minister of State for Education, Prof Suwaiba Said Ahmad, said the government remained willing to engage the unions but insisted that normal operations must resume.
She disclosed that the King’s College concession would run for 25 years, allowing the concessionaire time to establish management systems and enabling the government to assess the effectiveness of the arrangement.
The development has left King’s College at the centre of a wider dispute over how Nigeria’s Federal Unity Colleges should be funded and managed, with the government defending concession as a reform measure while unions and other stakeholders continue to raise objections.
