The Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria has suspended its strike action over the concession of King’s College, Lagos, giving room for the reopening of 115 Federal Unity Colleges nationwide.
According to a statement issued on Wednesday, the decision to suspend the strike was reached during a Tuesday meeting between the leadership of the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria, the ASCSN, and zonal coordinators of the Unity Schools in Kano.
Union leaders agreed to pause the industrial action to allow a seven-member committee time to review the concession agreement for King’s College.
The resolution comes roughly two weeks after the ASCSN and the Parent Teacher Association shuttered all Federal Unity Colleges to demand that the Federal Government revoke the concessioning of King’s College to its Old Boys Association.
Workers under the Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria (ASCSN) have directed their members to boycott the institutions’ planned reopening on September 13, arguing that the concession of King’s College threatens the viability of the Federal Unity College system.
The leadership of the Trade Union Congress (TUC), ASCSN and the zonal coordinators reviewed the agreement between labour and the Federal Ministry of Education, as well as the concession document for King’s College, according to a communiqué obtained by The PUNCH.
Consequently, they resolved “to suspend the ongoing strike action in the Unity Colleges to enable the seven (7) man committee to review the concession document.”
Union officials stated that the decision was influenced by the inclusion of two ASCSN representatives on the review committee, as well as the official suspension of the King’s College concession pending the submission of the committee’s findings.
Following the suspension of the industrial action, the colleges’ Parent Teacher Association recommended that students return to campus on Sunday, September 27.
Backstory…
The debate over the concession intensified following a September 4 directive from the Federal Ministry of Education instructing the immediate handover of King’s College to the King’s College Old Boys Association (KCOBA) upon meeting the concession terms.
The ministry outlined that a transition committee would complete the transfer within six months, after which federal funding for the institution would cease.
Despite these measures, the government maintained that the 117-year-old school was neither sold nor privatized.
Minister of Education Dr. Tunji Alausa clarified that while the Federal Government retains legal ownership, KCOBA assumes responsibility for funding, renovating, modernizing, operating, and maintaining the institution.
However, workers rejected the arrangement and continued to resist the reopening of all Federal Unity Colleges.
The conflict escalated when members of the King’s College Old Boys Association gained access to the school premises under police escort, bypassing protesting staff.
On September 16, the Federal Government and organized labor reached an agreement to suspend the King’s College concession for two weeks.
The agreement also provided for the establishment of a seven-member committee tasked with reviewing the concession document and addressing the unions’ grievances.
However, a faction of the Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria (ASCSN), led by National President Shehu Mohammed, rejected the suspension and insisted on continuing the strike.
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