The Federal Government has ruled out reversing its decision to concession the management of King’s College, Lagos, to the institution’s Old Boys Association, as heightened security presence around the school continued yesterday.
The Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, said the concession was designed to address the longstanding infrastructure and management challenges facing the college, insisting that the Federal Government was not selling the institution.
Alausa said, “The Federal Government is not selling any Unity College. The Federal Government, through the Federal Ministry of Education, does not have the intention to sell any Unity College, and we will not sell any Unity College.”
He added that even a N2 trillion allocation would not be enough to address the infrastructure needs of the nation’s Unity Colleges.
His comments came as policemen drawn from different formations in Lagos State sealed the premises of King’s College, Onikan, following days of protests by parents and workers over the proposed concession.
Roads leading to the school’s main gate were cordoned off with police vehicles, while motorists approaching from the Tafawa Balewa end towards CMS Bus Stop were diverted.
Unlike Tuesday, when parents reportedly had an altercation with policemen and members of the King’s College Old Boys Association, the protesters were not seen around the school gate yesterday.
Meanwhile, KCOBA executives, including its President, Ibrahim Imam, Secretary, Etigwe Uwa, SAN, and former NBA President Olumide Akpata, met at the school to discuss the concession.
Imam said the association would not turn King’s College into an elitist institution, stressing that it would continue to operate according to the principles behind the establishment of Unity Colleges.
He also rejected descriptions of the arrangement as a sale, saying ownership would remain with the Federal Government. According to him, KCOBA had agreed to maintain federal character in the composition of the school and would not increase fees.
Uwa said he was committed to preserving the opportunities King’s College had provided generations of students, while noting that the school first needed to be rescued from its deteriorating condition.
Akpata also disputed claims that parents and staff had been excluded from consultations, saying they had participated in meetings convened by the ministry and the association.
Alausa, meanwhile, said the government had reached a six-point agreement with unions aimed at resolving the wider dispute and restoring workers to their offices. He also alleged that some ministry directors were mobilising staff against the policy.
Minister of State for Education, Prof Suwaiba Said Ahmad, said the government remained willing to engage the unions but maintained that normalcy must return to the ministry first.
She added that resistance to the concession appeared, in part, to reflect opposition to changing existing arrangements.
