The first term resumption of 112 of Nigeria’s 115 Federal Unity Colleges is under threat as workers prepare to defy the Federal Government and halt academic activities today over the planned concession of some of the schools.

The brewing showdown followed the government’s plan to hand over the management of King’s College, Lagos, to its Old Boys Association under a 35-year concession, a move that has triggered strong opposition from workers in the Federal Ministry of Education.

It was reliably gathered that no fewer than 17,000 education officers at the ministry’s headquarters and affected unity colleges are expected to participate in the planned protest and industrial action.

A credible source told The Guardian that 112 of the 115 colleges had complied with the workers’ directive, leaving only three schools: Federal Government College, Kwali; Federal Government College, Okposi, and Federal Government College, Otobi, where some students were admitted because they had travelled long distances to resume.

At the weekend, the Joint Workers Committee of Unions (JWC) in the ministry directed workers in the colleges not to resume until further notice, setting the stage for a confrontation with the ministry ahead of today’s scheduled reopening.

In a notice dated September 11, 2026, and addressed to principals and unit chairmen of the Federal Unity Colleges, the JWC reaffirmed its earlier “No Resumption” directive and ordered union leaders to ensure strict compliance.

The committee said any directive from theMinister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, ordering the colleges to reopen would not change its position unless the dispute was first addressed through the established labour management channel.

“The JWC further wishes to state unequivocally that any purported press release, counter directive, or subsequent communication attributed to the Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, directing resumption today shall not alter the position of the JWC unless the matter is appropriately addressed and communicated through the established labour management channel,” it said.

The Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria (ASCSN), which represents teachers and other workers in the affected institutions, has also directed its members not to report for the checking in of boarding students at the weekend, a development that was fully complied with.

The union cited the unavailability of textbooks, raising fresh concerns about the preparedness of the colleges for the new academic session.

The notice was signed by JWC Chairman, Onuche Abraham; ASCSN Chairman, Ngadi Sampson; Nigeria Civil Service Union (NCSU) Chairman, Ojelabi Ademola; and Chairman, Amalgamated Union of Public Corporations, Civil Service Technical and Recreational Services Employees (AUPCTRE), Ejike George.

The Guardian reports that the development puts the unions on a collision course with the ministry, which has insisted that the colleges will reopen as scheduled.

The minister, through the Director of Press and Public Relations, Folasade Boriowo, had maintained that all Federal Unity Colleges would resume academic activities today, September 14, 2026.

The ministry assured students, parents and guardians that adequate measures had been put in place for a safe and orderly commencement of the new academic session, adding that Alausa had notified relevant security agencies of the arrangements and that security personnel had been placed on heightened alert around the colleges.

MEANWHILE, the Federal Ministry of Education has reaffirmed that all Federal Unity Colleges nationwide will resume academic activities today, September 14, 2026, as scheduled, assuring students, parents, guardians and other stakeholders that necessary arrangements are in place to support a safe, smooth and seamless commencement of the new academic session.

Alausa gave the assurance, noting that the safety and wellbeing of students and staff remain central to the Federal Government’s commitment to providing a secure and conducive environment for teaching and learning.

T

he minister stated that relevant security agencies have been duly informed of the resumption arrangements and are maintaining heightened vigilance around the Federal Unity Colleges and their immediate environments. He explained that the coordinated efforts are aimed at safeguarding students, staff and school communities as academic activities resume across the country. (The Gaurdian)