The federal government has ruled out any reversal of its decision to concession the management of King’s College, Lagos, to the institution’s Old Boys Association.
Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, said on Wednesday that the concession was aimed at addressing longstanding infrastructure and management challenges at the college, stressing that the federal government would retain ownership of the institution.
His position came as policemen from various formations in Lagos State took over the premises of King’s College, Onikan, following days of protests by parents, workers and unions over the concession arrangement.
Alausa spoke in Abuja while briefing journalists on the continuing protests by workers of the Federal Ministry of Education and their unions over the proposed concession and the closure of some Federal Unity Colleges.
He said the government was not selling King’s College or any of the Federal Unity Colleges, but was exploring alternative approaches to addressing the infrastructure and management challenges confronting the institutions.
Meanwhile, the heavy police presence at King’s College followed an altercation on Tuesday between parents protesting the concession, policemen and members of the King’s College Old Boys Association (KCOBA).
As of Wednesday morning, the protesters were no longer seen around the main gate of the school, while roads leading to the entrance were cordoned off by police vehicles and officers.
Vehicles approaching from the Tafawa Balewa Square end towards CMS Bus Stop were diverted to alternative routes.
At about 11am, members of KCOBA, including its National President, Ibrahim Kassim Imam, and former President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Olumide Akpata, arrived at the school for a meeting on the concession arrangement.
Speaking after the meeting, Imam assured stakeholders that the college would continue to be managed in accordance with the principles upon which Federal Unity Colleges were established.
“We are saying it again that we are not going to turn the college to an elitist one. We will run it in line with the principles behind the setting up of unity colleges and their operation.
“In fact, that is contained in the agreement we signed for the concession. To say we are buying it is wrong. There is no willing seller or buyer of King’s College. The Federal Government is not selling, while KCOBA is not buying,” Imam said.
He said previous interventions by old students to rehabilitate and renovate facilities at the college had been undermined by vandalism and poor maintenance.
“Our agreement with the Federal Government is open for public scrutiny. We are open to scrutiny by the public and we want the government to also look into how the school has been run so far,” he said.
Imam said KCOBA would ensure that students from every state of the federation continued to be represented at the college in line with the principle of federal character.
He also assured stakeholders that school fees would not be increased under the concession arrangement.
On funding, Imam said even if half of the proposed N100 billion endowment fund was realised, the money would be invested to generate sustainable revenue for the running of the institution.
He added that many old students were prepared to contribute to the fund once the concession took effect.
The Secretary of KCOBA, Etigwe Uwa, SAN, recalled his experience as a student of the college, saying the institution gave him an opportunity to interact with people from different parts of the country.
“I cannot be part of a system that would deny people a platform to fly. King’s College gave me such a platform and I have to extend same to others, but we must first save the college from its deplorable state,” Uwa said.
