The Federal Government has insisted that all 115 Federal Unity Colleges will reopen on Monday, September 14, 2026, despite an escalating dispute over the 35-year concession of King’s College, Lagos, that has already forced the historic school to shut its gates.
The assurance came as workers threatened an indefinite shutdown of Federal Unity Colleges nationwide, while parents and students at King’s College remained caught in the dispute over the school’s transfer to the King’s College Old Boys’ Association.
Education Minister Maruf Tunji Alausa said the government had made arrangements for the safe reopening of the schools and that security agencies had been alerted to maintain heightened vigilance around the institutions.
The development follows the closure of King’s College by workers opposed to the concession, raising uncertainty over whether students would be able to resume as scheduled.
Why King’s College Was Concessioned
The Federal Ministry of Education said the concession to KCOBA had been concluded under a Public-Private Partnership arrangement designed to rehabilitate, modernise, operate and maintain the 116-year-old institution.
Under the agreement, KCOBA would take responsibility for financing and managing the school through its special-purpose vehicle, King’s College Education Trust Ltd/Gte.
But the government insists the arrangement does not amount to a sale.
“Let me assure Nigerians, particularly the King’s College community, that this concession is not a sale of King’s College. Government has retained legal title to the institution and will continue to exercise its oversight responsibilities,” Alausa said.
The minister said the government would retain regulatory, monitoring, inspection and enforcement powers.
He also said admission would continue under Federal Unity College policies, with merit, fairness, transparency and national representation guiding entry.
On concerns over affordability, Alausa said the concession agreement did not prescribe an automatic increase in fees, although it also did not impose a permanent fee freeze.
“King’s College is an institution with a remarkable history, but preserving that history requires us to invest in its future,” he said.
Workers Reject Handover
The controversy intensified after the ministry directed King’s College management to begin the handover process.
A September 4 letter instructed the principal to work with a transition committee that would complete the transfer within six months. The ministry also asked the school to identify workers willing to remain under the Federal Civil Service Commission. The staff union subsequently shut the school.
King’s College Parent-Teacher Association Chairman Peter Oluwaleye said the closure had put the planned resumption in doubt.
“The staff union has declared an immediate shutdown of the college. No more entrance and exit,” he said.
The PTA has opposed the concession, arguing that students admitted into the institution as a Federal Government school should be allowed to complete their education under the same arrangement.
“Our children got admitted into KC as a unity school. They should have been allowed to graduate under the same terms,” Oluwaleye said.
