Unity Colleges Staff Suspend Strike
Staff of the Federal Unity Colleges have suspended their strike over the concession of King’s College, Lagos, paving the way for the reopening of the 115 Federal Unity Colleges across the country.
The decision followed a meeting between the leadership of the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria, Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria and zonal coordinators of the Unity Schools held in Kano on Tuesday.
According to a communiqué issued after the meeting, the unions resolved to suspend the industrial action to allow a 7-member committee to review the concession document for King’s College.
The strike was declared about 2 weeks ago after the ASCSN and the Parent Teacher Association shut the Unity Colleges in protest against the Federal Government’s decision to concession King’s College to its Old Boys Association.
The colleges were initially scheduled to resume on September 13, but ASCSN members were directed to boycott the resumption, with the union maintaining that the concession could undermine the future of the Federal Unity College system.
The union leaders said their decision to suspend the strike was also informed by the Federal Government’s agreement to put the King’s College concession on hold pending the outcome of the review committee, which has 2 ASCSN representatives.
The communiqué, signed by zonal coordinators of the Unity Schools, stated that the strike would remain suspended while the committee carries out its assignment.
Meanwhile, the Parent Teacher Association has proposed Sunday, September 27, 2026, as the date for students to return to their schools.
The PTA, in a statement on Wednesday, welcomed the suspension of the strike and described it as an opportunity for continued dialogue among the Federal Government, labour, school authorities and other stakeholders.
However, the parents said the proposed resumption date was subject to confirmation by the Federal Ministry of Education, urging the ministry to communicate its position early enough to enable parents and guardians make the necessary arrangements.
The PTA also called for the release or restoration of staff affected by the government’s action and urged the Federal Government and labour to allow the 7-member review committee to complete its assignment without pressure.
The controversy over King’s College concession intensified after the Federal Ministry of Education directed the immediate handover of the school to the King’s College Old Boys Association following the conclusion of the concession agreement.
The ministry had said the arrangement was neither a sale nor privatisation of the 117-year-old institution, stressing that the Federal Government would retain legal ownership while the Old Boys Association would finance, rehabilitate, modernise, operate and maintain the school.
The disagreement later escalated into a wider strike across the Federal Unity Colleges, before the Federal Government and organised labour reached an agreement on September 16 to suspend implementation of the concession for 2 weeks and establish a 7-member committee to review the document and address the concerns raised by the unions.