ASCSN calls off strike, Federal Unity Colleges reopen nationwide

ABUJA — After more than two weeks of shuttered classrooms, stranded students and mounting parental anxiety, Nigeria’s 115 Federal Unity Colleges are set to reopen, with the Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria (ASCSN) suspending its industrial action over the contentious concession of King’s College, Lagos.

ValidViewNetwork can confirm that ASCSN Secretary-General Gamaliel Acho announced the suspension following a meeting between the Federal Ministry of Education and labour unions in Abuja, directing teachers nationwide to resume classes immediately.

How the crisis unfolded

The dispute traces back to a proposed 35-year concession of King’s College, Lagos, to the King’s College Old Boys’ Association (KCOBA) under a public-private partnership arrangement.

When the Joint Congress of Unions of the Federal Ministry of Education halted resumption of the first term on September 10, over 100 unity colleges nationwide were affected.

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The Trade Union Congress suspended its own planned shutdown four days later after a truce with Education Minister Tunji Alausa, only for ASCSN to reverse course on September 19 and instruct members to continue striking after reviewing the outcome of further engagement.

What finally broke the deadlock

ValidViewNetwork gathered that the breakthrough came after the Federal Government agreed to a two-week suspension of the concession itself and the setting up of a seven-member committee to review the arrangement and make recommendations.

These concessions the union says were enough to justify standing down, at least for now.

ASCSN also noted the withdrawal of a police detachment earlier deployed to King’s College and secured assurances that no staff member would be victimised for participating in the strike.

Not over, just paused

According to reports gotten by ValidViewNetwork, the union was careful to stress that suspending the strike does not mean abandoning the underlying grievances that triggered it.

With the review committee’s work now the focal point, parents and students can breathe easier in the short term, but the King’s College concession saga is far from settled, and another flashpoint could emerge the moment the committee’s findings land. ValidViewNetwork reports.