RismadarVoice Reporters
September 15, 2026
Workers at the Federal Ministry of Education have threatened to prevent the resumption of activities in Federal Unity Colleges nationwide if the Federal Government proceeds with the proposed concession of King’s College, Lagos.
The workers issued the warning on Tuesday as their protest against the concession entered its fourth day, with activities at the ministry’s Abuja headquarters remaining paralysed.
The Joint Council representing four unions in the ministry – the Administrative Staff College of Nigeria Senior Staff Union, Organisation of Public Service Technical and Engineering Workers, Nigeria Civil Service Union and National Union of Banks, Insurance and Financial Institutions Staff issued the ultimatum while addressing journalists at the ministry.
The council said the ministry headquarters would remain shut and workers would stop activities in the Federal Unity Colleges unless the concession plan was reversed.
Chairman of the Joint Council, Comrade Onukhe Abraham, said the unions were not against development or private-sector participation in education but opposed any arrangement that could threaten workers’ jobs or undermine access to quality public education.
Abraham, however, commended President Bola Tinubu for approving a waiver for the recruitment of more than 3,000 Parent-Teacher Association workers into Federal Unity Colleges to address manpower shortages.
He questioned the decision to recruit additional personnel while existing workers at King’s College were reportedly being asked to seek redeployment to other schools.
“If Mr President has approved employment of 3,000 plus PTA staff, then where will the new staff work if existing teachers are being displaced from King’s College?” he asked.
The workers said their concerns were heightened by a ministry circular directing teachers who could not remain at King’s College under the proposed concession to seek postings to other schools in Lagos State.
Abraham warned that the concession of King’s College could set a precedent for other Federal Unity Colleges.
“There is what is called precedent. Once King’s College goes, others will follow,” he said.
He maintained that King’s College remained an important public asset that should continue to provide quality education, particularly for children from less privileged backgrounds.
The Joint Council also criticised the Trade Union Congress over a meeting its leaders held with the Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, on Monday.
The council described the meeting as “null and void,” insisting that the TUC was not part of the workers’ ongoing protest and did not represent the recognised leadership of the aggrieved workers.
The unions also listed other unresolved issues, including stagnation of education officers, delayed promotions and other longstanding welfare concerns.
They further raised objections to the proposed concessioning of Federal Unity Schools generally, as well as the land-swap controversy involving Federal Government College, Kano, and Suleja Academy School of the Gifted in Niger State.
According to the workers, the issues have heightened fears over job security and the future of public education assets.
The council said it had written to Alausa on July 6 seeking a meeting to discuss its grievances but had received no response despite confirmation that the letter was received.
Meanwhile, Chairman of the Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria in the ministry, Comrade Ngadi Sampson Chigozie, alleged that union leaders involved in the protest had been subjected to intimidation.
He also raised concerns over the presence of Department of State Services officials around the protest, alleging that security personnel had been deployed to intimidate the workers.
The workers were further angered on Tuesday when the Minister of State for Education, Prof. Suwaiba Ahmad, and the Acting Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Dr Folake Olatunji-David, were reportedly booed and blocked by protesters as they arrived at the ministry’s headquarters.
However, a fresh opportunity for dialogue emerged later in the day after the National President of ASCSN, Comrade Bola Audu, announced that a meeting between the workers and Alausa had been rescheduled for Wednesday at 4 p.m.
Audu said the meeting would take place at the minister’s conference room and assured that the workers were ready to present their grievances and seek concrete assurances, particularly on the proposed King’s College concession.
He rejected Monday’s meeting between the minister and what he described as “factional leaders” of the unions, maintaining that the recognised Joint Workers Committee remained the legitimate body mandated to negotiate on behalf of the protesting workers.
With the ministry still shut and the unions threatening to extend the action to Federal Unity Colleges nationwide, Wednesday’s meeting could determine whether the dispute is resolved or escalates into a wider industrial crisis in the education sector.
