The Federal Government has actually authorized the concession of King’s College Lagos to the King’s College Old Boys’ Association, marking what the association described as the start of a new period for among Nigeria’s earliest and most distinguished secondary schools.
The statement was made on Monday throughout a press conference held at the Metropolitan Club, Victoria Island, Lagos, where KCOBA President, Kashim Ibrahim-Imam, said the approval represented one of the most substantial turning points in the organization’s 116-year history and signalled the beginning of what he described the “King’s College Renaissance.”
According to Ibrahim-Imam, the concession is neither a sale nor the privatisation of the school but a new governance plan that will make it possible for the alumni association to operate in collaboration with the Federal Government to bring back, modernise, and sustain the organization.
“There are events that merely mark the passage of time, and there are occasions that redefine history. Today belongs firmly to the latter,” he stated.
Established in 1909, King’s College has actually long been regarded as a sign of scholastic excellence, producing recognized Nigerians in civil service, the judiciary, diplomacy, business, medication, engineering, academic community, and a number of other sectors.
While acknowledging the school’s abundant tradition, Ibrahim-Imam kept in mind that its facilities and functional systems had deteriorated over the years, making thorough intervention necessary.
“Today, that trajectory modifications. Today starts the King’s College Renaissance,” he declared.
The KCOBA president expressed thankfulness to Bola Ahmed Tinubu for approving the concession, explaining the choice as a presentation of innovative management and self-confidence in responsible citizenship and institutional stewardship.
He also applauded Tunji Alausa for supporting the effort as part of the Federal Government’s broader education reform agenda.
Clarifying the nature of the contract, Ibrahim-Imam worried that ownership of the organization stays with the Federal Government.
“It is not the sale of King’s College. It is not the privatisation of King’s College. It is not the abandonment of King’s College by the Federal government,” he said.
“Rather, it is the facility of a new governance framework through which KCOBA will partner with the government to restore, reinforce, modernise and sustain one of Nigeria’s greatest universities.”
He even more assured Nigerians that the school’s federal character would remain the same, noting that King’s College would continue to confess trainees from throughout the country despite ethnic, spiritual, or socio-economic background.
“The strength of King’s College has actually constantly depended on its diversity. That variety is not merely a policy; it belongs to the DNA of King’s College,” he added.