Workers in Nigeria’s Federal Unity Colleges have actually preserved their choice to boycott work, leaving the institutions shut despite a Federal Government regulation for scholastic activities to resume.
The development comes as schools throughout the nation resume on Monday for the 2026/2027 scholastic session.
The Association of Elder Civil Servants of Nigeria, along with the Joint Congress of Unions of the Federal Ministry of Education, stated the withdrawal of services throughout the 115 Federal Unity Colleges would continue till the Federal government suspended the concession of King’s College, Lagos, to the school’s old young boys’ association.
In a statement issued on Sunday, the workers stated they would not be hindered by federal government directives or possible administrative sanctions over their decision to stay away from work.
The action affected students expected to resume at the colleges, consisting of newly admitted pupils, as workers reportedly kept the institutions closed.
“The instruction for all workers to withdraw their services and boycott the resumption of all 115 Federal Unity Colleges stays total, outright, and unchanged.
“Up until that is done, the gates of all Federal Unity Colleges stay strongly shut,” the employees said.
The unions are opposing the planned concession of King’s College to the King’s College Old Boys’ Association, KCOBA, arguing that the plan could threaten the continued existence of the Federal Unity College system.
The difference followed a September 4 letter from the Federal Ministry of Education directing the instant handover of King’s College to the old kids’ association after the concession contract was concluded.
The ministry stated a transition committee had been set up to manage the process within 6 months, after which the Federal government would discontinue direct financing of the school.
Nevertheless, the Federal government has actually dismissed claims that King’s College has been offered or privatised.
The Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, had stated on Saturday that the government would maintain legal ownership and oversight of the institution regardless of the concession plan.
According to him, the agreement was designed to transfer duty for financing, rehabilitation, modernisation, operations and upkeep to KCOBA instead of hand ownership of the school to personal interests.
“Let me guarantee Nigerians, especially the King’s College neighborhood, that this concession is not a sale of King’s College.
“The federal government has actually retained legal title to the organization and will continue to exercise its oversight responsibilities,” Alausa said.
The minister added that the arrangement would protect the general public character and nationwide identity of the institution, while admission would continue to follow existing Unity College policies.
The employees, nevertheless, insisted that the concession might develop a precedent for the transfer of other Federal Unity Colleges.
“If they are successful with King’s College today, every other Federal Government College in Nigeria will be sold to personal interests tomorrow,” the unions stated.
They likewise implicated the Federal Ministry of Education of stopping working to follow through on the recommendations of an earlier committee developed to check out services to facilities challenges at King’s College and other Federal Unity Colleges.
According to the unions, the committee, which included agents of ASCSN and ministry officials, was anticipated to establish acceptable procedures for dealing with the schools’ infrastructure deficits before the concession procedure started.
Speaking on Sunday, the Chairman of the King’s College Parent-Teacher Association, Peter Oluwaleye, said trainees would not resume as arranged because teachers and other workers had withdrawn their services.
“No student is resuming. We have made it clear on our different platforms. No resumption up until further notification,” he stated.
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When asked whether the action extended beyond King’s College, Oluwaleye stated employees in other Federal Unity Colleges across the country were supporting the boycott.
“All over the country, other unity colleges are standing in uniformity with us,” he said.
He included that union members were present at the schools to keep track of compliance with the instruction.
The PTA chairman even more stated the demonstration could reach the Federal Ministry of Education in Abuja.
“As a matter of fact, it has extended beyond schools now. By tomorrow early morning, the Ministry of Education Abuja will be closed down,” he said.
The employees maintained that their action was aimed at safeguarding public education and was not entirely linked to employment-related needs.
“Our strike is not merely a commercial dispute over well-being; it is a patriotic battle to save public education,” the unions stated.
Meanwhile, a member of the King’s College Old Boys’ Association, who spoke on condition of anonymity, explained the concession plan as a public-private collaboration intended to rehabilitate and modernise the school.
The source said the agreement consisted of a six-month shift duration throughout which the parties would work out the details needed for the application of the brand-new functional arrangement.
He kept that the partnership was intended to improve the school instead of transfer ownership from the Federal Government.
The closure of the Unity Colleges comes as schools in numerous parts of Nigeria resume for the 2026/2027 scholastic session.
Parents have in current days been acquiring books, uniforms and other discovering materials, while pupils and trainees who took a trip during the vacations have returned ahead of the start of the new term.
The brand-new scholastic session is also starting amid rising issues over the cost of education, following cost increases by several personal primary and secondary schools.
Some independent school owners just recently raised fees by between 10 and 30 per cent, attributing the boosts to higher expenses of fuel, transport, rent, facilities, textbooks and instructors’ wages.
Source: THE PUNCH