Workers of the Federal Ministry of Education on Wednesday morning blocked the entrance to the ministry’s headquarters in Abuja, preventing Minister of Education Dr Tunji Alausa and Acting Permanent Secretary Dr Folake Olatunji-David from accessing their offices.
A video circulating on X showed protesters gathered at the gate as a motorcade believed to be conveying the minister arrived. The workers chanted “Alausa must go” and “We say no to concession of King’s College. King’s College is not for sale,” firmly barring entry to the premises.
The action forms part of an escalating dispute over the Federal Government’s plan to hand management of the 117-year-old King’s College, Lagos, to the King’s College Old Boys’ Association (KCOBA) under a 35-year public-private partnership concession. Unions argue the arrangement threatens public ownership of the historic institution, endangers staff jobs and could set a precedent for other Federal Unity Colleges.
Protests at the ministry have continued for several days. Workers under the Joint Workers Council, including the Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria (ASCSN) and affiliated unions, have repeatedly demanded the immediate reversal of the concession, the removal of Alausa, and resolution of outstanding staff welfare and administrative concerns. They have also rejected any deployment of King’s College teachers and other employees that might result from the deal.
The unions earlier directed staff across the country’s Federal Unity Colleges not to resume for the 2026/2027 academic session, leading to widespread shutdowns and disrupted resumption. Although the Trade Union Congress (TUC) announced a suspension of industrial action after meeting Alausa and receiving assurances that no jobs would be lost, the ministry’s Joint Workers Council rejected the move. Council Chairman Abraham Onuche said the TUC lacked mandate to call off a protest it had neither coordinated nor participated in, insisting the concession must be revoked before any return to normalcy.
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Alausa has maintained that the arrangement is not a sale or privatisation. He said the Federal Government retains legal title to the school and its regulatory powers, while KCOBA would finance rehabilitation, modernisation, operation and maintenance of the institution. A meeting between the minister and recognised union leadership was scheduled for Wednesday afternoon in an effort to resolve the standoff.
Parents and staff at King’s College itself have also staged protests, blocking access and rejecting the handover. The unions have warned that the ministry headquarters and Unity Colleges will remain shut until their core demands are met.