King’s College Crisis Deepens as Workers Reject Strike Suspension, Keeping Students Out of Class
The controversy over the proposed concession of King’s College, Lagos, has intensified as workers refused to lift industrial action, forcing some students in Federal Unity Colleges in Nigeria to stay away from school.
The Joint Workers Council of the Federal Ministry of Education said they would not accept the suspension called by the Trade Union Congress (TUC) as the unions directly involved in the protest were not consulted in the decision.
The workers are also protesting the proposed 35-year concession of King’s College, and are also questioning plans to redeploy teachers and other staff who may be impacted by the concession.
The disagreement has caused the scheduled resumption of Federal Unity Colleges in some states to be delayed. Some schools were still closed, and parents reported that their children had not gone to school because they had not been officially informed the dispute had been settled, reports from Uyo and Benin said.
Parents also blocked the entrance to the school in Lagos during a tense protest to stop members of the King’s College Old Boys Association from entering. The association rejected the idea of buying the school, arguing that the Federal Executive Council had approved the transfer of its management, not ownership.
The association stated that it was to improve the existing facilities and that the workers would not be fired under the proposed plan.
The Commissioner of Police for Lagos State, Mr. Abdus Shakoor, advised the two parties to engage in dialogue and refrain from any act that may result in lawlessness.
The Education Minister Tunji Alausa is set to meet with the protesting workers on Wednesday, during which the unions are expected to raise their grievances.
