The Trade Union Congress (TUC) has suspended its planned industrial action over the proposed concession of King’s College, Lagos, following a meeting with the Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, and other stakeholders in Abuja.
TUC General Secretary, Nuhu Toro, announced the suspension after Monday’s meeting, describing the engagement as fruitful and robust.
Toro said the decision would allow a newly constituted committee to examine the concerns raised by the unions and make recommendations on the controversial management arrangement for King’s College.
He, however, stressed that the suspension was not a permanent withdrawal of the industrial action.
According to him, the unions will monitor the committee’s work and could resume the action if they are dissatisfied with its recommendations.
The TUC had earlier directed its affiliates to withdraw their services and shut Federal Unity Colleges nationwide in protest against the proposed concession of King’s College to the King’s College Old Boys Association (KCOBA).
The dispute disrupted the scheduled resumption of Federal Unity Colleges for the 2026/2027 academic session, with workers and parents in several locations opposing the concession.
The unions have argued that King’s College is a public institution and expressed concern that handing over its management to an external body could undermine the public character of the college and set a precedent for other Federal Unity Colleges.
Parents and workers had also demanded that the Federal Government reverse the concession, with some warning that the arrangement could eventually lead to the commercialisation of public education.
However, the Federal Government has maintained that King’s College has not been sold or privatised.
The Ministry of Education said the Federal Government retains legal ownership of the 117-year-old institution, while the concession arrangement gives KCOBA responsibility for financing, rehabilitating, modernising, operating and maintaining the school.
The government has also said its statutory, regulatory, monitoring, inspection and enforcement powers remain intact under the arrangement.
Following the meeting with the TUC, Minister Alausa assured workers that no staff member would be dismissed, victimised or punished because of the dispute.
He said the deployment of academic and non-academic personnel would continue to be handled in accordance with the Public Service Rules.
Alausa also announced the constitution of a seven-member high-level committee to examine additional recommendations that could be incorporated into the existing concession agreement.
The committee comprises two representatives of the Federal Ministry of Education, including the Minister of State for Education and the Acting Permanent Secretary; one representative of the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment; two senior TUC representatives; and two representatives of KCOBA.
The committee has two weeks to complete its assignment and submit its recommendations.
Meanwhile, the minister directed all Federal Unity Colleges to resume academic activities following the suspension of the industrial action.
Toro said the unions welcomed the committee because it would provide an opportunity for them to examine the relevant policy documents and make further contributions to the process.
He also called for urgent attention to the condition of King’s College, noting that the institution’s deteriorating infrastructure requires immediate intervention.
The TUC leadership said the outcome of the meeting represented a temporary win-win situation, while making it clear that the final position of the unions would depend on the recommendations of the committee.
The development has therefore eased, but not completely resolved, the dispute over the future management of King’s College as the Federal Government, labour unions, parents and the school’s old students continue to negotiate the way forward.
I found the latest developments. The TUC has suspended, not cancelled, the planned industrial action after meeting Education Minister Tunji Alausa. A seven-member committee has been constituted to review the unions’ concerns within two weeks, while the Federal Government says the concession does not amount to the sale or privatisation of King’s College.
Leave a comment