LAGOS: Tension erupted at King’s College, Lagos, on Tuesday as aggrieved parents reportedly blocked members of the King’s College Old Boys Association from entering the school premises over the Federal Government’s proposed concession of the institution.
The parents gathered at the main entrance of the college and formed a human barricade, preventing the old boys from accessing the premises despite the presence of policemen led by the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Tijani Fatai.
The old boys had planned to brief journalists on the controversy surrounding the proposed management arrangement.
However, repeated appeals by the police failed to persuade the parents to open the gate, forcing the President of the King’s College Old Boys Association, Kassim Imam Ibrahim, to address journalists outside the school amid the tense atmosphere.
Ibrahim rejected claims that the association was seeking to acquire King’s College, insisting that the Federal Executive Council had only approved the transfer of the institution’s management to the old boys.
According to him, the Federal Government is not selling the college and the association has no intention of purchasing it.
The Federal Executive Council, FEC, met and took the decision to hand over the running of the college to the Old Boys Association. We are not interested in buying the school. We all have our means of livelihood. Also, the Federal Government is not selling the college, he said.
He explained that the association’s primary objective was to rehabilitate the school and restore its facilities, which he described as being in poor condition.
Ibrahim said the main campus in Onikan and the school’s annex on Victoria Island both require significant rehabilitation.
We are on a rescue mission. We want to restore the lost glory of the college, he said.
The old boys also sought to allay concerns among parents and workers, saying the proposed management arrangement would not lead to an increase in school fees.
Ibrahim further stated that teachers and other workers would not be sacked under the arrangement.
We are also not going to sack any teacher or worker. In fact, anybody who chooses to stay will have their salaries doubled and whoever wants to go can join other unity colleges in Lagos, he said.
He cited President Bola Tinubu’s decision, while serving as governor of Lagos State, to return mission schools to their original owners as an example of how alternative management arrangements could potentially improve educational institutions.
The Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the King’s College Old Boys Association, elder statesman Femi Okunnu, SAN, also maintained that the association was not seeking ownership of the institution.
In a statement that was expected to be read during the briefing, the association said its interest was to contribute to the management and rehabilitation of the college.
King’s College is not for sale. We are returning to serve it — to help manage, support and rebuild the institution that shaped generations of Nigerians,” the statement said.
The association described the initiative as an act of service and stewardship rather than an attempt to take possession of the school.
Despite the assurances, the parents remained opposed to the proposed King’s College concession.
Andrew Emelieze, a former Chairman of the Trade Union Congress in Oyo State who spoke on behalf of the protesting parents, questioned why the Federal Government would hand over the management of King’s College and other unity schools to old students.
These people just want to take over this place. Why can’t they go and contribute money to start their own college?” Emelieze asked.
He argued that old students could support the institution by funding specific projects without seeking control of its management.
Emelieze also questioned why alumni of other federal institutions, including military schools, had not pursued similar arrangements.
We won’t fall for their tricks. There is not going to be any concession of King’s College or any of the unity colleges,” he declared.
With tension mounting at the school gate, the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Tijani Fatai, urged both parties to resolve the dispute through dialogue.
He warned against any attempt by either side to force its way into the school premises.
We have spoken to both sides and there is need to dialogue. As it is now, it will not be advisable for anybody to make attempt to forcibly enter,” the commissioner said.
He added that the police would work to bring the parties together while maintaining peace and preventing a breakdown of law and order.
Meanwhile, a scheduled meeting between the Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, and the Association of Senior Civil Servants in Abuja did not hold on Tuesday.
A source said the meeting had been postponed until 4pm on Wednesday.
The controversy over King’s College has continued to generate opposition from parents, workers and labour groups, with the proposed concession now at the centre of a wider debate over the future management of Nigeria’s federal unity schools.
