The suspension followed a meeting involving the leadership of the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria, ASCSN and zonal coordinators of the Unity Schools in Kano on Tuesday.
At the meeting, the labour leaders agreed to suspend the industrial action to allow a seven-member committee to examine the concession agreement involving King’s College and address concerns raised by workers.
The decision was contained in a communiqué issued on Wednesday and signed by the seven zonal coordinators representing the Unity Schools across the country.
The communiqué stated that the union leaders reviewed the agreement reached between organised labour and the Federal Ministry of Education, alongside the concession document for King’s College.
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.”
The development comes about two weeks after ASCSN and the Parent Teacher Association shut down the Federal Unity Colleges in protest against the planned concession of King’s College to its Old Boys Association.
The colleges had been scheduled to resume on September 13, but workers under the ASCSN directed their members to boycott the resumption.
The union had argued that the concession of King’s College posed a threat to the future and integrity of the Federal Unity College system.
Concession put on hold
According to the latest communiqué, the decision to suspend the strike was also influenced by the fact that implementation of the King’s College concession had been put on hold pending the outcome of the seven-member committee.
The committee includes two representatives of ASCSN.
“Considering the above, the Zonal Coordinators of the Unity Schools agreed with the National Leadership of the ASCSN that the strike be suspended immediately while awaiting the report of the committee,” the communiqué read.
The document was signed by Omidiji Kunle, Lagos Zonal Coordinator; Abubakar Muhammad, North-West Coordinator; Yusuf S.A., South-West Coordinator; Tanko Augustine, North-East Coordinator; Udop Ogbodim, South-South Coordinator; Nosike F.O., South-East Coordinator; and Amodu Isiaka, North-Central Coordinator.
Parents propose September 27
Following the suspension, the Parent Teacher Association of the Federal Unity Colleges proposed Sunday, September 27, 2026, as the date for students to return to school.
The parents welcomed the suspension of the strike, describing it as an opportunity for the government, labour and other stakeholders to resolve the dispute through dialogue.
In a statement signed by Farmer Ayopo Somefun, South-West Zonal Coordinator of the PTA Chairmen Association of Federal Unity Colleges, FTC, Ijebu Mushin, Ogun State, the parents said they were ready to support the immediate restoration of academic activities.
However, they said the proposed September 27 resumption date would depend on confirmation by the Federal Ministry of Education.
“We therefore call on the Federal Ministry of Education to urgently communicate its position on the proposed 27th September 2026 resumption date,” the parents stated.
According to them, early confirmation would enable parents and other stakeholders to make the necessary arrangements for students to return to their schools.
The PTA also appealed to all parties to sustain the dialogue initiated to resolve the dispute.
“The suspension of the strike should provide the necessary atmosphere for meaningful dialogue between the Federal Government, the Federal Ministry of Education, labour, school authorities and other stakeholders,” the statement read.
The parents also called for the release or restoration of PTA staff affected by the government’s action, arguing that the issue should be addressed before normal activities resume fully across the schools.
They further urged the government and organised labour to allow the seven-member committee to complete its assignment without interference or pressure.
“Let the strike remain suspended. Let dialogue continue. Let the review committee do its work. Let the Federal Ministry of Education confirm its readiness,” the parents said.
They added, “And let our children return to school on Sunday, 27th September 2026, if the FME is in agreement with the proposed date.”
The PTA appealed to parents nationwide to remain calm and await an official position from the Federal Ministry of Education.
How the dispute started
The disagreement over King’s College intensified after the Federal Ministry of Education, in a September 4 letter, directed the immediate handover of the Lagos-based institution to the King’s College Old Boys Association following the conclusion of a concession agreement.
The ministry said a transition committee would oversee the handover process for six months, after which Federal Government funding for the college would cease.
The government, however, maintained that the arrangement did not amount to the sale or privatisation of the 117-year-old institution.
Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, said the Federal Government would retain legal ownership of King’s College, while the King’s College Old Boys Association would assume responsibility for financing, rehabilitating, modernising, operating and maintaining the school.
The position was rejected by workers, who objected to the concession and subsequently extended their industrial action to cover all Federal Unity Colleges.
Tensions rose further when members of the King’s College Old Boys Association, backed by police personnel, entered the school premises despite resistance from protesting staff.
The dispute later took a different turn on September 16 when the Federal Government and organised labour reached an agreement to suspend implementation of the King’s College concession for two weeks.
The agreement also provided for the establishment of a seven-member committee to review the concession document and consider concerns raised by the unions.
However, the latest suspension of the strike followed disagreement within the ASCSN, with a faction led by its National President, Shehu Mohammed, previously rejecting the suspension and maintaining that the industrial action remained in force.
With the latest decision by the union’s leadership and zonal coordinators, attention now shifts to the seven-member committee and the Federal Ministry of Education’s position on the proposed September 27 resumption date.