The Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria (ASCSN) has directed workers in federal unity colleges across the country to suspend academic activities until further notice over the proposed concession of King’s College, Lagos.
The directive was contained in a communiqué dated September 10 and signed by the association’s zonal coordinators — Yusuf S.A. (South-West), Tanko Augustine (North-East), Abubakar Muhammad (North-West), Udop Ogbodim (South-South), Nosike F.O. (South-East) and Amodo Isiaka (North-Central).
The development comes as schools across the country reopened for the 2026/2027 academic session on Monday.
ASCSN said its decision was triggered by what it described as the “unilateral decision” of the Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, to hand over King’s College, Lagos, to the school’s old students association without consulting other stakeholders.
The association described the proposed concession as an “assault” and “affront” on the unity of Nigeria, arguing that federal unity colleges were established to promote national integration by bringing together students from different backgrounds.
“The ceding or sale of the federal unity colleges will negate the principle on which basis they were established to be a centre of secondary education model where the Nigerian children from all backgrounds will interact and imbibe the culture of tolerance of one another and build national cohesion,” the communiqué reads.
“If these schools are concessioned/sold, they will become inaccessible to millions of children from low-income backgrounds and become a commodity for the rich.”
The association also expressed concern that thousands of workers employed by the colleges could lose their jobs if the proposed arrangement goes ahead.
“We therefore demand that the Minister of Education should forthwith stop this idea or plan of concession/sale/handing over of King’s College, Lagos and the Federal Unity Colleges in the country to private investors,” the association said.
“The Union therefore resolved that pending the period the minister of Education will stop this idea of concession/sale/handing over of King’s College, Lagos and all the Federal Unity Colleges in the country, the colleges should be shut down. Meaning that there will be no resumption of any activity in the Federal Unity Colleges in the country till further notice.”
ASCSN consequently appealed to parents and guardians to keep their children and wards at home, saying the schools would not reopen as previously scheduled.
“For the purpose of emphasis, the Federal Unity Colleges across the country are not resuming on Sunday, 13th of September, and Monday, 14th of September 2026 until further notice,” the ASCSN said.
The dispute comes amid an ongoing disagreement between the college’s Parent-Teacher Association and the Federal Government over the proposed concession of King’s College, Lagos, to the King’s College Old Boys’ Association (KCOBA) under a public-private partnership (PPP) arrangement.
On Friday, Alausa rejected claims that the government had sold the college, maintaining that the institution remains publicly owned.
The minister explained that under the concession agreement, KCOBA would finance, rehabilitate, modernise, operate and maintain the 117-year-old institution.
Alausa added that the Federal Government would retain the legal title to the school, alongside its statutory responsibilities for regulation, monitoring, inspection and enforcement.
