The Trade Union Congress (TUC) has suspended its planned shutdown of Federal Unity Colleges over the concession of King’s College, Lagos, to the King’s College Old Boys’ Association (KCOBA).
TUC General Secretary, Nuhu Toro, announced the suspension after a meeting with the Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, and other stakeholders in Abuja on Monday, as reported by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).
The suspension will allow a newly constituted seven-member committee to review concerns raised by the unions over the King’s College management arrangement, with TUC warning that the industrial action could resume if it is dissatisfied with the committee’s recommendations.
Toro described the meeting as fruitful and robust, saying the unions’ concerns were presented and considered in good faith. He said the suspension would allow the committee to undertake its assignment and consider the issues raised by the unions.
Toro said Alausa provided explanations on the concerns raised during the meeting, prompting the unions to suspend the directive to their affiliates to withdraw their services.
He stressed that the suspension did not amount to a permanent withdrawal of the industrial action and that the unions would monitor the committee’s recommendations.
The parties are expected to reconvene within the stipulated period to consider the committee’s recommendations and determine the next steps.
Alausa directed all Federal Unity Colleges to resume academic activities immediately following the suspension of the industrial action. He also announced a seven-member high-level committee to consider additional recommendations that could be incorporated into the King’s College management agreement already signed by the government and KCOBA.
The committee comprises two representatives of the Federal Ministry of Education, including the Minister of State for Education and the Acting Permanent Secretary.
The minister said implementation of the arrangement for KCOBA to continue managing King’s College would proceed, while the government would continue engaging the unions and other stakeholders.
The latest development follows concerns over the Federal Government’s concession of King’s College to KCOBA and whether the arrangement amounted to the sale or privatisation of the institution. The government subsequently clarified that King’s College had not been sold or privatised and that it retained legal title to the 117-year-old institution.
Admissions will continue under applicable Unity College policies, including merit, transparency, fairness and national representation, while JSS1 admission will continue through the prescribed testing and assessment process.
The government also said the agreement does not prescribe an automatic increase in school fees, while a Staff Transition and Protection Framework is intended to protect staff welfare and ensure continuity of essential services.
The King’s College concession comes against the backdrop of longstanding funding challenges facing Nigeria’s Federal Unity Schools, including delays in overhead and school feeding allocations.
The funding challenges provide wider context to the government’s emphasis on improving the infrastructure and operational capacity of Federal Unity Schools.
The government has not, however, stated that the 2025 funding challenges were the direct reason for the King’s College concession.
