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From Scholastic Hir, Makurdi; Noah Ebije, Kaduna; Okey Sampson, Umuahia; Ighomuaye Lucky, Benin, Laide Raheem, Abeokuta and Tony John, Port Harcourt
The Teachers’ Union in the 115 Unity Schools in the country has padlocked the gates of the colleges following the concession of King’s College, Lagos, to the King’s College Old Boys Association (KCOBA) by the Federal Ministry of Education.
Students, who were due to return to school on Sunday, September 13, 2026, for the new academic session couldn’t. The union said the government had yet to unfold the details of the transfer of the school to its alumni association. The teachers are afraid that if this transfer, which they describe as “shady” , scales through, it will be replicated in all the unity schools. The government is not yielding any ground, and has directed students to go back to school, assuring them of adequate security.
In this report, some Nigerians said the concession of King’s College negates the philosophy behind the founding of unity schools.
Privatisation of King’s College defeats reasons for establishing unity schools -Anthony Sani, ACF BOT member; Kaduna
Unity schools and federal universities, as well as National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) scheme, were established to help solidify the unity of the country in order to reduce the fissiparous tendencies of our diversity. If the Federal Government implements the concession in King’s College Lagos, it means privatisation of the college, thereby discarding the very basis of establishing unity schools across the country.
I therefore share the views of those who believe the privatisation of King’s College will in the long run be applicable to all the unity schools. That would defeat the very good reasons for establishing the unity schools across the country.
Unity schools must not become schools for the rich -Rev. Emmanuel Olorunmagba, politician; Kaduna
Unity schools must not become schools for the rich. The Federal Government should suspend the King’s College concession, reopen the schools and transparently review the arrangement. The controversy surrounding the reported concession of King’s College, Lagos, to the King’s College Old Boys Association (KCOBA) has raised fundamental questions about the future of Nigeria’s Federal Unity Schools. Federal Unity Colleges were established to bring Nigerian children from different ethnic, religious and cultural backgrounds together. We must therefore be extremely careful about any arrangement that could eventually make these institutions accessible mainly to children from wealthy families. But there is a fundamental difference between supporting a public school and transferring control of a public institution. The Federal Government should therefore publish the details of the concession and answer basic questions: What exactly has been conceded, and for how long? Who retains ownership? Who determines school fees? What happens to existing teachers and workers? Will admission remain affordable and nationally representative? What safeguards prevent the same model from being extended to other Unity Schools? Transparency would help to remove suspicion and build public confidence.
FG’s action will take education further away from common man – Andy Egbon, journalist; Benin
I first saw it on social media; I thought it was merely wishful thinking. Unfortunately, I have come to realise that it is actually a real proposal. I do not think it is a positive development for this country at all. To me, this amounts to privatising federal institutions. And we all know what privatisation means, especially in a country like Nigeria, which operates a capitalist economy. From what we have seen so far, both on social media and in the conventional media, it is clear that this is not a popular initiative.
Therefore, the earlier the government reverses the decision, the better for the country.
We are all familiar with the charges imposed by private institutions, which are largely profit-oriented. I agree that the fees charged by federal unity schools may no longer be as affordable as they ought to be.
If this proposal is implemented, I believe it will take education even further away from the common man on the street.
Education should not become a privilege reserved for those who can afford high fees. Federal unity schools were created to give children from different parts of the country an opportunity to receive quality education at an affordable cost.
FG should dialogue with stakeholders before embarking on such decision – Dr. Bishop Akhalamhe, politician; Benin
The controversy over the concession of King’s College, Lagos, to its old boys association raises legitimate concerns about transparency, affordability and the original purpose of Nigeria’s Unity Schools. While the government may have a right to explore alternative management models to improve infrastructure and standards, such a sensitive decision should not be shrouded in uncertainty.
The immediate priority should be to reopen the schools peacefully while the government, the teachers’ unions, parents, students and alumni engage in a transparent dialogue on the terms, implications and safeguards of the concession. Their suggestions could include making the concession terms public, establishing clear limits on school fees, guaranteeing access for children from less-privileged backgrounds, and creating a joint oversight mechanism involving government and stakeholders.
Concession will mess up purpose of establishing unity schools – Dan Maduagwu, journalist; Umuahia
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Unity Schools were established to address Nigeria’s ethnic, religion and cultural diversity. But this move by the Federal Government through the Federal Ministry of Education to concession the schools, will make a mess of the establishment of the Unity Schools by their founding fathers, and I believe that is why those protesting against the concession are doing so.
According to the Teachers’ Union, the government did not consult them and other stakeholders and wasn’t even open in the said concession, government should call those who are against the move to a round table and discuss the issue because the teachers are the ones to bear the brunt in case the concession succeeds as some of them may lose their jobs.
School fees will be out of reach of poor people – Uche Esobe, businessman; Aba
The concession of Unity Schools in the country by the Federal Government is not the best. The action if carried out, will not only be against the interest of the teachers, most of whom are going to lose their jobs, and the poor parents would also be affected as the fees that will be charged by the new owners will be out of the reach for the poor.
For instance, the fees are now out of the reach of the poor for a government school in Abia that was concession to the Old Boys.
Should the government have its way in the concession of the schools, their fees will be so exorbitant that the poor may not be able to attend them and most of the teachers will lose their jobs. Since this is the case, the government should allow the status quo to remain. If the Old Boys of any schools want to run schools let them build their own and not to cause problems in trying to run schools they do not know when they were established.
Concession process must be open, transparent, competitive – Austin Onuoha, a public analyst; Abuja
In the first place, the government should consult the Teacher’s Union. There should be broad based consultation of teachers, parents and other stakeholders.
Secondly, the concession process must be open, transparent and competitive. For instance, the Teacher’s Union may even bid. Then the remuneration and welfare of teachers and other staff must be clearly articulated. Privatisation must have a human face. This must not be like the privatisation of NEPA, where the distribution companies still behave and operate like a monopoly.
There is nothing untoward in ceding school to alumni -Dr Adakole Elijah, a public analyst; Benue
The obdurate opposition of the Nigeria Union of Teachers to the proposed handover of the school to its Alumni Association is needless, myopic, and antithetical to progress. If the alumni possess the requisite capacity, commitment, and competence to manage the institution, then justice and global best practice demand that they be granted that opportunity. This is neither an aberration nor an experiment. It is the standard, time-honoured practice in citadels of learning across the world. At this epoch, governments at all levels are strategically divesting from the direct management of institutions. In that light, there is nothing untoward in ceding the school to its Alumni. Rather than resort to needless confrontation and brinkmanship, the NUT should demonstrate statesmanship by engaging the government to articulate the modus operandi that will ensure a seamless, transparent, and accountable transition. The hour calls for collaboration, not conflict.
How many parents would be able to afford the fees afterwards? – Bose Akintan, facility manager; Abeokuta
The idea of the Federal Government handing over the King’s College to the old boys association to run should not be encouraged and allowed to stand. Unity Schools were originally established to give succour to parents who crave quality education and a learning environment conducive for their wards. Hence, giving it to the old students to run will defeat that purpose in terms of tuition and other fees, which many parents might not be able to afford.
Rather than doing that, old boys of King’s College should study the templates being used by similar bodies to contribute to the progress and development of their respective schools. For me, that is better than giving the school to the old boys to run. How many parents would be able to afford the fees afterwards? So, the FG should listen to the agitating parents and reconsider its stance.
Ministry of Education causing problems in education sector – Oluwatoyin Enani-Benson, senior citizen; Abeokuta
My candid opinion is that the Federal Ministry of Education is the cause of the problems in all the educational sectors, which are now affecting all levels of education.
This recent policy introduced by the ministry to hand over King’s College to the Old boys Association will defeat the purpose of establishing Unity Schools across the country. No doubt, fees of the school will skyrocket and be out of reach of many parents. The implication is that the school will now become the exclusive right of the elites and the rich. What happens to parents who cannot afford the high cost of school fees that will be charged by the new handlers?
The problem was created by the Federal Government, therefore, they should reverse that policy so that the students can resume urgently.
It’s privatisation plan in disguise -Livingstone Wechie, legal practitioner; Port Harcourt
King’s College is an ivory school that models what Nigeria’s secondary education should look like. The concerns by the Staff Association are well founded and patriotic because it reveals a failed stakeholder management mechanism in the entire process leading to this avoidable showdown.
This is a result of selective consultation that now tilts the apple cart
Yes, Nigeria’s education system is currently in a sorry state both in terms of infrastructure and standard, but it must not be hijacked by a bourgeois and capitalist approach.
If indeed the intention is to improve infrastructure, why do you handover the affairs of the school to the Old boys Association under a PPP arrangement. The process failed on arrival because it is strongly suspected to be a privatisation plan in disguise which will eventually result in a class-based admission in a full-length commercial project.
