Nigeria defends King’s College management plan

Nigeria’s Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, has defended a proposed management arrangement for King’s College, Lagos, involving the King’s College Old Boys’ Association (KCOBA). The move is intended to address severe infrastructure decay, funding gaps, and security concerns at the historic institution by mobilizing additional resources without transferring government ownership.

Addressing concerns regarding the concession, Alausa and Minister of State for Education, Prof. Suwaiba Ahmad, assured stakeholders that school fees will not increase and teachers will not lose their jobs. The Minister emphasized that this is an isolated case and the Federal Government has no intention of selling or extending this management model to other Federal Unity Colleges.

To resolve disputes with labour unions, the Ministry of Education and unions reached a five-point agreement. This includes a two-week pause on implementing the takeover, the suspension of industrial action, and the establishment of a seven-member committee to review the agreement with KCOBA. The government also plans to use $20 million from a World Bank-supported programme to rehabilitate other selected unity colleges.