King’s College Dispute: Unity Colleges Resume as Strike Suspended

Academic activities have resumed across Nigeria’s 155 Federal Unity Colleges after the Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria (ASCSN) suspended its industrial action over the Federal Government’s controversial 35-year concession of King’s College, Lagos, to its Old Boys’ Association, bringing an end to a standoff that had kept thousands of students at home for weeks.

The strike, which began on September 14 when workers shut the gates of unity colleges nationwide and barricaded the entrance to the Federal Ministry of Education headquarters in Abuja, was called off on Wednesday following a meeting between the union’s leadership, the Trade Union Congress (TUC), and zonal coordinators of the Unity Schools in Kano. In a communiqué issued after the meeting, the union leaders said the strike would be suspended to allow a seven-member committee to review the concession agreement for King’s College. “Considering the above, the Zonal Coordinators of the Unity Schools agreed with the National Leadership of the ASCSN that the strike be suspended immediately while awaiting the report of the committee,” the communiqué stated.

The development followed a two-week truce brokered by the Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, under which the implementation of the proposed takeover of King’s College by the King’s College Old Boys Association (KCOBA) was paused. As part of the agreement reached on September 16, the Federal Government also committed that no worker would be victimised for participating in the industrial action, and policemen deployed to the premises of King’s College were to be redeployed. A seven-member committee was constituted to negotiate and critically examine the agreement, with representatives drawn from the Federal Ministry of Education, the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment, the TUC, and KCOBA.

The dispute erupted after the Ministry of Education directed the immediate handover of King’s College to KCOBA under a concession arrangement, with a transition committee mandated to complete the process within six months. The government maintained that the institution had not been sold or privatised and that it retained legal ownership of the 117-year-old college, while the Old Boys Association would be responsible for funding, rehabilitation, modernisation, operation, and maintenance. The minister clarified that the arrangement was an isolated case and would not be extended to other Federal Unity Colleges, stressing that the government would maintain its mandate to fund the rehabilitation of all other unity colleges directly. He revealed that approval had been secured to repurpose approximately $20 million from a World Bank-supported programme for school rehabilitation, with around 20 unity colleges already selected for the intervention.

The Parent Teacher Association (PTA) welcomed the suspension of the strike and proposed Sunday, September 27, 2026, as the date for students to return to school, subject to confirmation from the Federal Ministry of Education. The parents urged the ministry to announce its position on the date promptly to enable them to make necessary arrangements and appealed for the release or restoration of PTA staff affected by the government’s actions.

However, the resolution remains fragile. A faction of the ASCSN led by its National President, Shehu Mohammed, had rejected the two-week suspension of the concession at the time and insisted that the strike remained in place. The Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) has also faulted the Federal Government over its decision to concede the management of King’s College to the Old Boys’ Association, adding another layer of opposition to the contentious arrangement. The union’s grievances extend beyond the concession itself, with ASCSN having previously warned that thousands of college workers could lose their jobs under the proposed arrangement. During the negotiations, the Acting Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Dr Folake Olatunji-Davies, clarified that workers at King’s College would remain civil servants and would have the option of either remaining at the school or transferring to other schools within Lagos State, depending on their preference.

The ASCSN’s decision to suspend the strike was met with commendation for the Minister of Education and other officials of the ministry for their willingness to engage and address the concerns raised over the concession. The union noted the immediate withdrawal of the police detachment deployed to King’s College and the agreement that no staff member would be victimised, harassed, sanctioned, or punished for participating in the industrial action.

As the seven-member committee begins its review of the concession document, the coming weeks will determine whether the fragile peace holds or whether the unity colleges—and the students who depend on them—will once again be caught in the crossfire of a dispute that strikes at the heart of Nigeria’s public education system.