Workers at King’s College, Lagos, on Tuesday blocked members of the school’s Old Boys’ Association from entering the premises of the school for a press conference on the federal government’s decision to concession the school.
The workers stood at the entrance and refused to allow the old students’ association members into the school, singing solidarity songs and calling on the government to reverse the decision.
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The Old Boys’ Association, led by its president, Kashim Ibrahim-Imam, eventually held the press conference outside the school.
Mr Ibrahim-Imam explained that the federal government had approved the transfer of the school’s management to the association under a public-private partnership arrangement.
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He noted that the arrangement was meant to help the association rehabilitate the school, whose facilities he said had deteriorated over the years.
But he insisted that the government was not handing over ownership of King’s College.
“PPP does not in any way signify a sale of the school to the Old Boys. The federal government is not selling King’s College to anybody,” he said.
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Mr Ibrahim-Imam stressed that the association wanted to improve the school and return it to the standard it had when he was a student there.
He also dismissed fears that the arrangement would result in higher school fees.
He said teachers who chose to remain at the school would have their salaries and allowances doubled under the new arrangement.
Workers who did not want to remain at King’s College, he said, would retain their status as Federal Ministry of Education employees and could be transferred to other federal schools.
Police open school gate
The disagreement at the gate later turned tense as the police moved in to allow the old boys into the school.
Two workers were seen lying on the ground during the confrontation. One of them was attended to with water, while at least one other protester was taken away in a police vehicle.
The Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Fatai Tijani, who led the police team, said the officers were at the school to prevent the situation from getting out of hand.
Mr Tijani noted that the workers had a right to protest but could not stop the old boys from holding their meeting.
“I told them you have a right to protest, but where their right stops, another man’s rights begin,” he said.
The commissioner stated that the old boys had informed the police that the government had approved their management of the school and that they wanted to hold their meeting on the premises.
He stated that both sides had agreed to meet on Wednesday to discuss the dispute.
Workers say government should fund school
The workers said they would not accept the concession.
Andrew Emelieze, national coordinator of the Federal Workers Forum, noted that they would continue protesting until the government reversed the decision.
“King’s College is not for concessioning. King’s College is not for sale. King’s College is not for privatisation. Unity Schools are not for sale,” Mr Emelieze said.
He stated that the government should fund and rehabilitate its schools instead of transferring their management to private interests.
“Our position is that government should live up to its responsibility and fund education. Education should be a right. It should be prioritised, not privatised,” he said.
Mr Emelieze noted that the workers would return to the school on Wednesday.
Government retains ownership
The disagreement at King’s College is part of a wider dispute over the federal government’s plan to concession the school.
The government has directed that the management of King’s College be handed to its Old Boys’ Association, with a transition committee expected to complete the process within six months.
The government has repeatedly stated that the arrangement is not a sale of the school.
In a statement issued on 11 September, the Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, said the federal government would retain ownership and continue to exercise oversight over the school.
Under the agreement, the Old Boys’ Association is expected to finance the rehabilitation of the school, modernise its facilities and take responsibility for its operation and maintenance.
The ministry stated that the concession followed a series of assessments before the necessary approvals were obtained.
It said school fees would not automatically increase because of the arrangement, although there was no permanent freeze on fees.
Admissions would continue under the existing Unity College policies, with the National Common Entrance Examination remaining the basis for admission into JSS1.
The ministry also explained that workers would remain civil servants.
According to the ministry, existing obligations such as arrears, pensions and gratuities incurred before the transition would remain the responsibility of the federal government unless the Old Boys’ Association agreed otherwise.
After the transition, the association would take responsibility for salaries, allowances and other operating costs for personnel engaged under the project.
The government would continue to monitor the school through reports, audits and inspections and could intervene in cases of serious breaches of the agreement.
The concession is expected to cover the rehabilitation of classrooms, administrative buildings, hostels, staff quarters, laboratories, libraries, health and dining facilities, utilities and sports facilities.
The government said the old boys would not pay a conventional concession fee but would instead be responsible for the capital and operational costs of running and developing the school.
Unity College workers protest
The dispute over King’s College has spread to other Federal Unity Colleges.
Workers shut the schools nationwide on Monday, preventing students from returning for the new academic session.
The Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria has raised concerns about job security, the future of public education and possible increases in school fees.
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The government has since begun talks with the labour unions.
At a meeting with the unions on Monday, Mr Alausa explained that the government would consider the interests of teachers, non-academic staff and students as it implements the reforms.
The Acting Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Folake Olatunji-Davies, stated that workers at King’s College would remain civil servants and could either stay at the school or transfer to other federal schools in Lagos.
King’s College, established in 1909, is one of Nigeria’s oldest secondary schools and has historically been run as a federal institution.
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