By MILLICENT IFEANYICHUKWU

Workers of King’s College, Lagos (KCL), alongside parents, on Monday said the school would not resume unless the Federal Government reversed its plans to concession it.

According to them, the school will not open for the first term of the 2026/2027 academic session unless the government reverses its proposed concession of the school to the King’s College Old Boys Association (KCOBA).

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the workers and parents held placards with inscriptions like “Alausa’s policies are killing public education. He must go”.

Other inscriptions are “The concession of King’s College must be reversed”; “Unity Colleges are public-owned, no resumption can take place, we say no to privatisation”.

The workers and parents intensified their action on Sunday and Monday, the scheduled resumption date for boarders and day students of federal unity colleges nationwide.

They maintained their position that the school must remain under public ownership and management.

Mr Samuel Enang, Chairman, Association of Senior Civil Servant of Nigeria (ASCSN), King’s College Unit, said the action was a solidarity fight involving workers across the unity-school system.

Enang said workers started mounting the gate of KCL on Sunday, being the day boarders were expected to resume, to prevent access until the proposed concession was reversed.

“We are saying, ‘No to privitalisation’, the Federal Ministry of Education must reverse the concession now. King’s College is a public school, and unity schools are not for sale,” Enang said.

NAN reports that the Federal Ministry of Education, under the leadership of Dr Tunji Alausa, had proposed to concession the college to KCOBA, a move that has continued to generate opposition from workers.

Enang said the protest was not merely about King’s College, stressing that the development had implications for the future of other federal unity colleges.

“No resumption is taking place in all unity schools. This is a solidarity fight because what happens to King’s College today can affect other unity schools tomorrow,” he said.

He called on KCOBA to steer clear of the institution, insisting that the college was a public asset established to provide education for Nigerian children.

“KCOBA should steer clear from King’s College, Lagos. The school belongs to Nigerians and should remain under public ownership,” Enang added.

Enang also criticised the policies of the Ministry of Education under Alausa, describing them as detrimental to public education and demanding urgent government intervention.

Speaking on the development, Mr Olatunji Ojulari, a member of Concerned Parents Community of KCL, said parents under the PTA platform had remained supportive of the College, unlike the KCOBA.

He disclosed that the KCOBA had not undertaken any meaningful project or put up a physical structure at either the Island Annex or the main campus.

He added that the PTA renovated a hostel, subsidised students’ meals and even paid some teachers engaged as PTA teachers.

“We expect the government to reverse the concession and wake up to its responsibility because privatising King’s College Lagos, will be disastrous and undermine the interests of students and parents,” he said. (NAN)