ON the fourth day of the protest against the recent circular announcing the concessioning of King’s College, Lagos, which they considered unacceptable and a threat to the future of Nigeria’s public education system, the protest by the workers, under the Joint Council, representing four major staff unions in the Federal Ministry of Education, on Tuesday, September 15, took a dramatic turn.
The workers booed the Minister of State for Education, Suwaiba Ahmad, and acting Permanent Secretary, Folake Olatunji-David, as they attempted to enter the ministry’s headquarters in Abuja, thereby preventing them from accessing their offices.
The protesting workers shut down the ministry, accusing the Federal Government of using the concession of King’s College as a possible starting point for concessioning other federal unity schools across the country, warning that such a policy could increasingly place quality education beyond the reach of children from poor and working-class families.
According to SaharaReporters, Chairman of the Joint Council, Onukhe Abraham, while addressing journalists at the ministry’s entrance, questioned the rationale behind the concession of King’s College, particularly at a time the Federal Government had approved the employment of over 3,000 Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) staff to address manpower shortages in federal unity schools.
He stated: “If Mr. President has approved the employment of over 3,000 PTA staff, where will these new workers work if existing teachers are being displaced from King’s College?”
The workers were particularly angered by a circular signed by Olatunji-David directing teachers who could not remain at King’s College, following the concessioning arrangement, to seek postings to other schools in Lagos State, saying the circular had heightened concerns over job security and the future management of federal unity schools.
The unions insisted that King’s College is a national asset that should remain under public management, and its continued accessibility was vital to children whose parents cannot afford expensive private education.
“Once King’s College goes, others will follow. The children of the poor must be able to attend King’s College. It is one of the assets Nigeria has and it must not go that way,” Abraham said.
The workers vowed to escalate the industrial action if the Federal Government fails to reverse the concessioning decision, insisting: “If there is no reversal of the concessioning, there will be no resumption in all the unity schools in the country and the headquarters will remain shut.”
The protesters also rejected a meeting held on Monday between Education Minister, Tunji Alausa, and some leaders of the Trade Union Congress (TUC), describing its outcome as “null and void,” because the recognised leadership of the Joint Workers Committee (JWC) was not represented.
National President of the Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria (ASCSN), Bola Audu, told the protesters that a fresh meeting between the recognised union leadership and the minister had been rescheduled for Wednesday at 4pm at the minister’s Conference Room.
Audu said the recognised JWC remained the legitimate body mandated to negotiate with the ministry on behalf of the aggrieved workers.
Another union leader, Andrew Adejoh, urged the protesters to remain calm and united, saying the proposed meeting would provide an opportunity for the unions to properly articulate their grievances and present their demands.
Adejoh charged the ministry to ensure the meeting was held promptly, as many union leaders had travelled from different parts of the country and needed to return home after the engagement.
Meanwhile, Chairman of ASCSN at the ministry, Ngadi Sampson Chigozie, alleged that security agencies, including the Department of State Services (DSS), had been deployed around the protest.
He expressed concern over alleged threats to the lives of union leaders, even as he insisted that the protest remained peaceful.
They vowed to sustain the shutdown until concrete assurances were given on the future of King’s College and the broader policy direction concerning unity schools.
