King’s College: Workers threaten nationwide shutdown of Unity schools, ministry

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By Joseph Erunke, Abuja

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The crisis over the proposed concession of King’s College, Lagos, escalated on Tuesday as workers at the Federal Ministry of Education headquarters in Abuja threatened to shut down all Federal Unity Colleges across the country if the Federal Government fails to reverse the controversial arrangement.

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The threat came as the workers’ protest entered its fourth day, with activities at the ministry remaining paralysed and tensions mounting over what the unions described as threats to workers’ jobs, public education assets and the future of children from less privileged families.

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The Joint Council, representing four major unions in the ministry—Administrative Staff College of Nigeria Senior Staff Union (ASCSU), Organisation of Public Service Technical and Engineering Workers (OPTER), Nigeria Civil Service Union (NCSU) and National Union of Banks, Insurance and Financial Institutions Staff (NOBSTUCK)—issued the ultimatum while addressing journalists at the ministry’s entrance.

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The council warned that unless the concessioning plan was reversed, workers would prevent resumption in all Federal Unity Schools nationwide, while the ministry’s headquarters would remain shut.

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The development came amid an escalating disagreement between the Joint Council and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) over Monday’s meeting between TUC leaders and the Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa.

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The Joint Council dismissed the meeting as “null and void”, insisting that TUC did not represent the body of workers currently protesting against the King’s College concession.

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Chairman of the Joint Council, Comrade Onukhe Abraham, said the unions were not opposed to development or private-sector contributions to education but insisted that public schools established and funded by the government must not be handed over through arrangements that could undermine workers’ jobs and access to quality education.

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Abraham, however, commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for approving a waiver for the recruitment of more than 3,000 Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) staff into Federal Unity Schools, describing the decision as a welcome intervention to address the acute manpower shortage in the schools.

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But he questioned the logic of recruiting additional teachers while existing staff at King’s College were being asked to seek redeployment elsewhere.

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“If Mr President has approved employment of 3,000 plus PTA staff, then where will the new staff work if existing teachers are being displaced from King’s College?” he queried.

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The workers said their concerns were heightened by a recent ministry circular directing teachers who could not remain at King’s College following the proposed concession to seek posting to other schools in Lagos State.

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According to them, the directive has fuelled fears over the security of their jobs and raised broader questions about the future of Federal Unity Colleges.

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“There is what is called precedence. Once King’s College goes, others will follow,” Abraham warned.

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“The children of the poor must be able to go to King’s College. That school is one of the assets Nigeria has, and it must not go that way.”

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He said coordinators of Federal Unity Colleges were also unhappy with the concessioning decision, claiming that the workers had consulted with them over the development.

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The council further accused TUC of attempting to negotiate with the minister without the participation of the recognised leadership of the protesting workers.

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“TUC is not part of this issue. They have never come here for one day to dialogue with us,” Abraham said, alleging that the congress held discussions with the minister after the Joint Council had been expecting a meeting with him.

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“That meeting remains null and void,” he declared.

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Beyond King’s College, the unions listed a number of unresolved welfare and administrative issues, including the stagnation of education officers, delays in promotion and other long-standing staff grievances.

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They also raised fresh concerns over the proposed concessioning of Federal Unity Schools generally, as well as the land-swap controversy involving Federal Government College, Kano, and Suleja Academy School of the Gifted in Niger State.

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The unions said the developments had created widespread anxiety among workers who feared that their jobs and public assets were increasingly being placed at risk.

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Adding to the workers’ frustration, the Joint Council said it had written to Alausa on July 6, seeking an audience to discuss the issues, but had received no response despite having evidence that the letter was acknowledged.

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The council described the minister’s alleged silence for more than two months as unacceptable, warning that continued failure to engage the workers could further worsen industrial relations in the education sector.

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Meanwhile, Chairman of the Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria (ASCSN) in the ministry, Comrade Ngadi Sampson Chigozie, raised concerns over alleged threats to the lives of union leaders participating in the protest.

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He also disclosed the presence of officials of the Department of State Services (DSS) around the protest, alleging that security personnel had been deployed to intimidate workers.

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“They sent police to King’s College to see how they will intimidate the workers, but they can’t intimidate them,” Chigozie said.

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“I don’t know what will happen to me today or tomorrow. DSS is on us, all of us the chairmen here. If I die for this cause, we perish. We don’t know what will happen when we are going home.”

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He insisted that the unions were fighting for ordinary Nigerians and the preservation of access to quality public education.

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“What we are asking for is not too much. They should leave the Old Boys to give to them what they have. This is how it’s done. People give back to the society that has been of benefit to them,” he said.

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The crisis took another dramatic turn on Tuesday when angry workers separately booed and blocked the Minister of State for Education, Prof. Suwaiba Ahmad, and the Acting Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Dr Folake Olatunji-David, as they arrived at the ministry’s headquarters.

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The confrontation underscored the depth of resentment among the workers as the dispute over King’s College continued to paralyse official activities.

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However, a fresh attempt at dialogue emerged later in the day when the National President of ASCSN, Comrade Bola Audu, announced that a meeting between the workers and Alausa had been rescheduled for Wednesday at 4 p.m.

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Audu said the meeting would hold at the Minister’s Conference Room and assured that the workers remained prepared to engage the minister on the grievances that triggered the industrial action and the shutdown of the ministry’s headquarters and Federal Unity Colleges.

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He, however, rejected the outcome of Monday’s meeting between the minister and what he described as “factional leaders” of the unions.

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According to him, the recognised leadership of the Joint Workers Committee remains the legitimate body mandated to negotiate with the ministry on behalf of the protesting workers.

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He urged the workers to remain united and resolute ahead of Wednesday’s meeting, saying it would provide an opportunity for them to formally table their demands and seek concrete assurances from the ministry, particularly on the proposed concession of King’s College.

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With the ministry still grounded and the unions threatening a nationwide shutdown of Federal Unity Colleges, Wednesday’s meeting could prove decisive in determining whether the King’s College controversy moves toward resolution or triggers a wider industrial crisis in Nigeria’s education sector.

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