King’s College Crisis Deepens as Workers Block Old Boys Over PPP Plan

Operations were disrupted at King’s College, Lagos, on Tuesday as staff, parents and union members blocked the school’s main gates in protest against a proposed Public-Private Partnership (PPP) management arrangement for the historic federal institution. The protest took place as the school began its 117th anniversary celebrations.

The protesters prevented members of the King’s College Old Boys’ Association (KCOBA), including its president, Sir Kazeem Ibrahim-Imam, from entering the premises. The development came amid a wider dispute over the Federal Government’s decision to concession the school to its old students’ association under a PPP arrangement.

Security operatives led by Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Fatai Tijani, arrived at the school as tensions mounted. Officers eventually gained access through a rear entrance and opened the front gates, while the police commissioner advised the KCOBA delegation to postpone its entry.

A multi-stakeholder reconciliation meeting was scheduled for Wednesday as part of efforts to resolve the dispute. Representatives of the Oba of Lagos were also present at the school and appealed to the parties to maintain calm.

KCOBA has rejected claims that the arrangement amounts to the sale or privatisation of King’s College. Ibrahim-Imam said the Federal Government would retain ownership of the institution, while the PPP model would provide funding for infrastructure rehabilitation and other improvements. The association also says the arrangement would allow salaries for remaining teaching staff to be increased while keeping tuition rates unchanged.

The association further said Education Minister Tunji Alausa had assured workers who do not wish to remain under the new arrangement that they would be transferred to other schools without disruption to their employment.

Protest leaders, however, remain opposed to the concession, describing it as disguised privatisation. Andrew Emelieze, coordinator of the Federal Workers Forum, argued that funding public education remains a responsibility of government and described King’s College as an important part of Nigeria’s national heritage.

The dispute follows several days of industrial action and negotiations between the Federal Government and education-sector unions. The Trade Union Congress recently directed its affiliates to suspend industrial action after reaching an understanding with the Education Ministry, while a seven-member committee was established to review the concession agreement and address stakeholders’ concerns.

Despite the suspension of the wider industrial action, the confrontation at King’s College shows that significant disagreement remains over how the institution should be managed and funded. The outcome of the stakeholder meetings is expected to determine the next step in the controversial PPP arrangement.