The Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria, King’s College Lagos Unit, says the foremost unity college will remain shut until the concession is reversed. The unit chairman, Mr Samuel Enang, said this in an interview in Lagos. “We have totally rejected the concession because we were employed by the Federal Government,” he said.
Enang said the workers would continue opposing the concession through lawful means, adding that the Federal Government must retain responsibility for King’s College Lagos. The Federal Government has concessioned the college to King’s College Old Boys Association. Enang said the college principal informed the workers about the concession, and they rejected it. He said the workers were presented with a nominal roll requiring them to indicate whether they wanted to continue under KCOBA or the Federal Civil Service.
Mr Adeolu Ogunbanjo, Chairman, Board of Trustees, National Parent Teacher Association of Nigeria, also expressed concerns about the concession. He said parents would want to know why the concession was made. “If government wants to withdraw from managing unity schools, it should tell Nigerians clearly and state its reasons,” he said. He warned that concessioning King’s College Lagos could trigger requests from old students’ associations of other Federal Government colleges.
The winners: none. The losers: the students, whose education has been disrupted; the workers, who face an uncertain future; and the parents, who worry about the school's future.
Bottom Line: King’s College is shut. The workers are fighting the concession. The question is whether the government will reverse the decision or the standoff will continue.