Workers at King’s College Stop Old Boys from Entering School

Workers at King’s College in Lagos blocked the Old Boys’ Association from entering the school on Tuesday. They were there for a press conference about the federal government’s plan to hand over the school’s management.

The workers stood at the entrance, refusing to let the old students in. They sang solidarity songs and urged the government to change its mind about the decision.

The Old Boys’ Association, led by president Kashim Ibrahim-Imam, ended up holding the press conference outside the school. Mr Ibrahim-Imam explained that the government approved transferring the school’s management to the association under a public-private partnership.

He said this plan was to help the association fix the school, which he claimed had fallen into disrepair over the years. But he emphasized that the government was not giving ownership of King’s College away.

“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 stated. Mr Ibrahim-Imam stressed that the association wanted to improve the school to the level it was when he studied there.

He also dismissed concerns that this arrangement would lead to higher school fees. He mentioned that teachers who chose to stay would see their salaries and allowances doubled under the new plan.

For workers who did not want to stay, he said they would keep their jobs with the Federal Ministry of Education and could move to other federal schools. Things got tense at the gate when police arrived to allow the old boys in.

Two workers were seen on the ground during the clash. One received water, while another protester was taken away in a police vehicle. The Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Fatai Tijani, who led the police team, said they were there to keep the situation from escalating.

Mr Tijani pointed out that the workers had the 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.

He explained that the old boys had told the police about the government's approval for them to manage the school and wanted to hold their meeting there. Both sides agreed to meet on Wednesday to discuss the disagreement.

The workers stated they would not accept the concession. Andrew Emelieze, the national coordinator of the Federal Workers Forum, said 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 insisted that the government should fund and fix its schools instead of handing them over to private groups.

“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 added. Mr Emelieze confirmed that the workers would return to the school on Wednesday.

The disagreement at King’s College is part of a bigger issue over the federal government’s plan for the school. The government wants the management of King’s College to go to its Old Boys’ Association, with a transition committee set to finish this in six months.

The government has made it clear that this is not a sale of the school. On September 11, the Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, said the federal government would keep ownership and continue to supervise the school.

Under the plan, the Old Boys’ Association is expected to pay for the school’s repairs, modernize its facilities, and take care of its operations and maintenance. The ministry said this concession followed thorough assessments before approvals were given.

They added that school fees would not automatically rise because of the plan, though there is no permanent freeze on fees. Admissions would continue based on the existing Unity College policies, with the National Common Entrance Examination still being the way to enter JSS1.

The ministry also stated that workers would remain civil servants. Existing obligations like arrears, pensions, and gratuities before the transition would still be the federal government’s responsibility unless the Old Boys’ Association agreed otherwise.

After the transition, the association would handle salaries, allowances, and other costs for the staff involved in the project. The government would keep monitoring the school through reports, audits, and inspections and could step in if there are serious breaches of the agreement.

The concession aims to cover repairs of classrooms, administrative buildings, hostels, staff quarters, labs, libraries, health and dining facilities, utilities, and sports facilities. The government said the old boys would not pay a regular concession fee but would manage the capital and operational costs of running and developing the school.

The disagreement over King’s College has spread to other Federal Unity Colleges. Workers closed schools nationwide on Monday, stopping students from returning for the new academic session.

The Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria has raised worries about job security, the future of public education, and possible fee increases. The government has started discussions with the labor 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 carries out the reforms. The Acting Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Folake Olatunji-Davies, said 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, founded in 1909, is one of Nigeria’s oldest secondary schools and has always been run as a federal institution.