LAGOS — Academic activities across Nigeria’s 115 Federal Unity Colleges have resumed after the Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria (ASCSN) and organized labor formally suspended their industrial action over the disputed 35-year concession of King’s College, Lagos.
The nationwide shutdown—which delayed the planned September 13 resumption for the 2026/2027 academic session—was called off following a high-level agreement between the Trade Union Congress (TUC), ASCSN leadership, and the Federal Ministry of Education. Under the peace deal, the Federal Government agreed to put the implementation of the King’s College concession on hold for two weeks while a joint seven-member committee conducts a comprehensive review of the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) agreement.
The dispute erupted earlier in September when the Ministry of Education issued a handover directive to transfer management, financing, and maintenance of the 117-year-old King’s College to its alumni body, the King’s College Old Boys’ Association (KCOBA), through its special purpose vehicle. Education Minister Dr. Tunji Alausa defended the transaction, insisting that the government retains legal title, oversight, and regulatory control while leveraging alumni capital to address severe infrastructure deficits.
However, staff unions under the Joint Congress of Education Ministry Unions vehemently rejected the arrangement, labeling it a “backdoor commercialization” of premier public heritage institutions that would raise tuition fees out of reach for average families and threaten public service jobs.
With the strike officially suspended and the review committee actively sitting, the National Parent-Teacher Association of the Federal Unity Colleges (NAPTAFUC) urged the ministry and school heads to adjust academic timetables to ensure students—particularly final-year classes preparing for WASSCE and UTME—catch up on lost learning time.
