The Lingering Crisis Over Unity Schools

The lingering dispute between the Federal Government and organised labour over the proposed concession of King’s College, Lagos, has once again exposed the challenges surrounding the management and funding of Nigeria’s Federal Unity Colleges.

While most public and private primary and secondary schools have commenced the 2026/2027 academic session, the resumption of students in the Federal Unity Colleges has been disrupted by the industrial dispute.

The controversy centres on the Federal Government’s proposed 35-year Public-Private Partnership (PPP) concession of the 117-year-old King’s College to the King’s College Old Boys’ Association (KCOBA).

The disagreement has generated protests by workers, parents and other stakeholders and, at one point, resulted in a confrontation at the school, prompting the deployment of policemen to the premises.

The dispute subsequently spilled over into the wider Federal Unity Colleges, with workers directing members not to resume academic activities.

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The Federal Government has insisted that King’s College has not been sold or privatised.

According to the Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, the government will retain legal ownership as well as its regulatory, monitoring, inspection and enforcement powers, while KCOBA will finance, rehabilitate, modernise, operate and maintain the institution under the concession arrangement.

The government has also maintained that the arrangement is specific to King’s College and is not a plan to concession other Federal Unity Colleges.

Alausa said the government would continue to fund the rehabilitation of the other colleges.

The rationale for the arrangement is understandable. Many government-owned schools have suffered years of infrastructural deterioration because of inadequate and inconsistent funding.

The government argues that bringing in private resources and management expertise could help restore facilities such as hostels, laboratories and sports grounds at King’s College.

KCOBA’s interest in the school is also not difficult to appreciate. Alumni associations can have a strong emotional and institutional connection with their former schools and, in many cases, possess the resources and networks required to support their development.

However, the concerns raised by workers, parents and teachers cannot simply be dismissed.

The Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria (ASCSN) and other education-sector unions have questioned the implications of the concession for workers’ employment, salaries, pensions, promotions and other conditions of service.

They have also expressed concern about the possibility of job losses and the long-term implications of changing the management structure of a public institution.

Parents, too, have legitimate concerns. Federal Unity Colleges have traditionally provided children from different parts of the country with access to education at relatively affordable costs.

Any arrangement that eventually results in higher fees or reduced access would inevitably raise questions about the continued public-service character of such institutions.

The National Union of Teachers (NUT) has similarly called for transparency and effective communication in resolving the dispute.

Its National President, Audu Amba, described the concession of King’s College as worrisome, stressing the school’s importance as a national institution.

At the same time, the government’s argument that public education requires alternative funding mechanisms deserves consideration.

The central question, therefore, should not merely be whether government or private entities should manage the school.

Rather, it should be whether the proposed arrangement can improve infrastructure and educational standards without compromising affordability, workers’ rights, public accountability and equal access.

Fortunately, the immediate confrontation has given way to dialogue. Following discussions between the Federal Government and organised labour, the implementation of the King’s College concession was suspended for two weeks.

A seven-member committee was also established to review the arrangement, while the unions suspended their industrial action and directed workers in the Federal Unity Colleges to resume their duties.