Review committee examines disputed King’s College concession
A seven-member committee has begun reviewing the federal government’s proposed 35-year concession of King’s College, Lagos, to its Old Boys Association after opposition from parents, staff, unions and former principals disrupted the start of the academic session. Key issues include funding, fees, staff welfare, control and the concession’s duration.
Academic activities at King’s College, Lagos, have not begun normally in the 2026/2027 session after opposition to the federal government’s plan to transfer the school to its Old Boys Association under a 35-year concession. The proposal triggered confrontations at the school gates on 15 September, when members of the Parents Teachers Association prevented Old Boys from entering for a meeting. The source material says some people were injured and that police were later deployed.
There were also protests at the Federal Ministry of Education in Abuja involving organised labour, staff and a PTA delegation. The Joint Congress of Unions of the ministry and the Trade Union Congress coordinated solidarity actions at other federal Unity Colleges. Education Minister Tunji Alausa announced the concession in August.
Following resistance, the government suspended its implementation for two weeks and established a seven-member committee to review the agreement. The committee began work last Monday. Its terms include the concession’s duration, school fees, continued public funding, staff welfare, operational control and the financial obligations of the Old Boys Association.
Parents are concerned about access and future fees, while staff fear for their jobs, salaries and pension benefits under a private ownership structure. The Old Boys Association sought the arrangement as part of efforts to address deteriorating infrastructure, overcrowded hostels and other problems at the historic school. The source material also cites concerns about bullying and a pupil’s death from diphtheria in 2025.
Premium Times argued that the college should remain public and be properly funded, while noting that an earlier attempt to concession or sell 102 Unity Colleges in 2006 was also made but did not proceed.
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