There was a protest at King’s College, Lagos, on Tuesday as staff and parents of the school prevented members of the King’s College Old Boys Association (KCOBA) from gaining entrance into its premises over the federal government’s directive to hand over the management of the college to the association.
Tunji Alausa, minister of education, had on Monday held an
emergency meeting with the leadership of the Trade Union Congress (TUC),
Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria (ASCSN) and other affiliated
unions over the lingering controversy surrounding the concession of the
college.
The meeting followed the disruption of academic resumption
across federal unity colleges by members of the workers’ unions on Monday.
After the meeting, the national leadership of TUC asked
ASCSN and other unions to suspend all industrial action over the concession
arrangements.
Nuhu Toro, TUC general secretary, while addressing
journalists after the meeting, said the unions’ major concerns were presented
and considered in good faith, adding that the federal government had set up a
seven-man committee to proffer solutions to the controversy.
Following the TUC’s directive, Alausa directed all federal
unity colleges to resume academic activities immediately.
However, the directive was resisted at King’s College, as staff members prevented KCOBA executives from opening the school gate for a press conference earlier scheduled to address the controversy surrounding the concession and officially open the school for resumption.
The incident reportedly degenerated into a fracas, with some
staff members injured as they struggled with KCOBA executives over access to
the school entrance.
Addressing journalists in front of the school gate, Kashim
Ibrahim-Imam, president of KCOBA, said the federal executive council (FEC) had
met and resolved that the management of the college be handed over to the
association under a public-private partnership (PPP) arrangement.
“PPP does not in any way signify a sale of the school to the
old boys. The Federal Government is not selling King’s College to anybody,”
Ibrahim-Imam said.
“Also, the old boys are not interested in buying King’s College. The role of the Old Boys Association, over the years, has been to invest in developing the infrastructure across the two campuses. That has primarily been our role.”
He said the association had no plan to increase tuition
fees, adding that its primary objective was to transform the college.
“At no time did the old boys imply that we are going to
increase school fees. Our objective is to develop the college,” he said.
“I keep saying this, as president of the Old Boys, my own
personal aspiration is very modest.
“To take back, not even to take the school forward, take back the school to where I met it as a student. Now, all the facilities are dilapidated.”
The KCOBA president said, under the PPP arrangement,
teachers who chose to remain at the college would receive improved
remuneration.
“For those who will elect to remain as teachers in King’s
College, we will double their salaries and allowances,” he said.
“Those who choose to leave, they are staff of the federal
ministry of education. The minister has indicated his willingness to transfer
them to the Federal Government College, Ijanikin, or to Queen’s College. So,
they have been given options.”
‘KINGS COLLEGE NOT FOR SALE’
Andrew Emelieze, national coordinator of the Federal Workers
Forum, said the workers would continue their protest until the government
announced a reversal of the concession.
“King’s College is not for concessioning. King’s College is
not for sale. King’s College is not for privatisation. Unity Schools are not
for sale, and we are here peacefully,” he said.
“Our leaders are in Abuja meeting the minister of education
on this issue, and we were here peacefully until the old boys came, using the
Nigeria police, and forcefully entered.
“This is not the best way to go in a democracy. A protest is
constitutional; it is legal. The Nigeria Police owe us a duty to protect us
when we are protesting, but what we are seeing is the reverse.”
Fatai Tijani, commissioner of police in Lagos, said
operatives were at the school to prevent a breakdown of law and order and
protect lives and property.
Tijani addressed journalists after police operatives opened
the school gate despite resistance from the protesting staff.
“I told them you have a right to protest, but where their
right stops, another man’s rights begin,” he said.
The police commissioner added that an agreement had been
reached by the various parties for the Old Boys Association to hold its meeting
within the school premises on Wednesday.
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