Education Ministry Workers Protest Proposed Concession of Unity Colleges

Workers and trade union leaders at the Federal Ministry of Education on Monday protested in Abuja against the Federal Government’s proposed concession of Federal Unity Colleges.

The protesters gathered at the ministry’s headquarters, displaying placards, chanting solidarity songs and demanding that the concession plan be immediately withdrawn.

They also vowed to sustain their industrial action until the Federal Government reverses the proposal and provides more funding for the affected schools.

The protest followed growing opposition from teachers’ unions and other education stakeholders over the planned concession of King’s College, Lagos, to private interests or its Old Boys’ Association.

Speaking during the protest, a trade union leader in the ministry, Comrade Gali Habib, said workers were acting in solidarity to protect the public ownership and national-integration role of Federal Unity Colleges.

Habib said the colleges provide children from less-privileged families with access to quality secondary education at subsidised rates while bringing students from different ethnic, cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds together.

He questioned whether children from low-income families would continue to access quality education if the schools were transferred to private operators.

Habib urged the Federal Government to reverse the concession plan and instead increase funding for infrastructure, teachers’ welfare and other educational needs. He added that the union would continue its industrial action until the decision was reversed.

Another staff representative, who spoke anonymously, said the colleges remain important platforms for national integration because students from different parts of the country study and interact in the same environment.

The worker warned that concession could weaken this role and make quality secondary education less accessible to families unable to afford private school fees.

A senior ministry officer identified as Uko also said the protest was triggered by the proposed concession of King’s College. He urged the government to increase funding, rehabilitate the school’s infrastructure and improve the welfare of teachers and other workers.

Uko described King’s College as a national heritage institution that has contributed to the education and development of generations of Nigerians.

Another staff representative said Federal Unity Colleges should remain public institutions because of their importance to national integration and affordable secondary education.

The workers called on the Federal Government and other stakeholders to preserve the colleges as public institutions and national assets rather than transfer them to private interests.