Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, gave the assurance in Abuja on Wednesday while addressing journalists on the dispute surrounding the proposed concession of King’s College to the King’s College Old Boys Association (KCOBA).
The controversy has triggered protests by parents and teachers, while a nationwide industrial action by education workers disrupted the resumption of Federal Unity Colleges earlier in the week.
Addressing the issue, Alausa said the government had no intention of extending the concession model to other Federal Unity Colleges.
“No. We’re not extending it. Government still has its responsibility,” the minister said.
“Federal government, through the federal ministry of education, does not have the intention to sell any Unity College, and we will not sell any Unity College.”
Protests Disrupt Resumption
The dispute over King’s College intensified in recent weeks as parents and teachers opposed attempts by KCOBA to assume a management role at the historic Lagos institution.
Tensions escalated on Monday, when schools officially resumed and members of the Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria (ASCSN) commenced industrial action, disrupting activities at Unity Colleges nationwide.
The development prompted Alausa to convene an emergency meeting with representatives of the workers' union and the leadership of the Trade Union Congress (TUC).
Following the meeting, the TUC appealed to ASCSN to suspend the industrial action, while the education minister directed staff and students of Federal Unity Colleges to return to school the following day.
The dispute at King’s College, however, continued.
Staff and parents reportedly prevented members of KCOBA from entering the school to carry out activities. The confrontation subsequently degenerated into a fracas, requiring the intervention of officers from the Lagos State Police Command.
Minister Seeks Dialogue With Workers
Alausa said the ministry remained open to discussions with the aggrieved unions but insisted that workers must return to their offices and allow ministry operations to continue.
He said the conditions were necessary to protect officials, maintain order and ensure that government offices remained accessible.
The minister also condemned alleged harassment of ministry officials, destruction of property and the blocking of ministry gates.
“We will not tolerate that as a government. We’ve given them all the room and scope to do their protest within the ambit of the law,” Alausa said.
Why Government Backed King’s College Arrangement
Alausa said the proposed arrangement with KCOBA was not designed to transfer ownership of King’s College but to attract additional resources for the rehabilitation and modernisation of the institution.
According to the minister, the school has experienced significant deterioration in its infrastructure, making outside support necessary to restore facilities and improve the learning environment.
Alausa said he had personally visited the school without prior notice and observed poor conditions in some hostels, bathrooms, classrooms, laboratories and other facilities.
The minister said KCOBA had indicated its willingness to invest substantially in the school through a non-profit foundation.
Under the proposed arrangement, he said, the association intended to maintain merit-based admission while ensuring that students from different parts of Nigeria continued to have access to the institution.
Alausa also said KCOBA had claimed to have invested more than N2 billion in supporting infrastructure at King’s College over the years.
Government Faces Massive Infrastructure Deficit
The minister linked the King’s College dispute to a much larger challenge confronting the Federal Government: the extensive infrastructure deficit across Nigeria's 115 Federal Unity Colleges.
He said the government was investing in education infrastructure under President Bola Tinubu but acknowledged that decades of underinvestment had created a funding gap that could not be closed immediately through government resources alone.
“President Bola Tinubu is investing in infrastructure, including the sub-sector, but there’s so much significant infrastructure gap that has happened for 40 years and we don’t have the funds,” he said.
Alausa estimated that even N2 trillion would not be sufficient to address the infrastructure requirements of all Federal Unity Colleges.
The minister's comments underscore the scale of the challenge facing the government as it seeks to rehabilitate schools that serve students from across the country.
World Bank Programme to Support Rehabilitation
As part of efforts to bridge the funding gap, Alausa said the Federal Government had secured approval to repurpose about $20 million from a World Bank-supported programme for the comprehensive rehabilitation of selected Unity Colleges.
About 20 schools have been selected for the initial intervention, although the minister said the programme would cover institutions across the country.
He said the additional funding was necessary because the cost of rehabilitation is substantial.
In the South-West alone, Alausa estimated that restoring Federal Unity Colleges would cost nearly N100 billion.
The figures, he said, demonstrate why the government must explore additional sources of funding while retaining ownership and control of the institutions.
Government Draws Line Between Funding and Ownership
The minister's position seeks to distinguish between partnerships designed to improve school infrastructure and the outright sale or transfer of government-owned Unity Colleges.
While the government is considering external funding and partnerships to address deteriorating facilities, Alausa maintained that Federal Unity Colleges would remain under government ownership.
The assurance comes as the controversy over King’s College continues to generate concern among parents, teachers and education workers.
For the government, the immediate challenge is to resolve the dispute, restore normal operations and find sustainable funding for the country's Unity Colleges without compromising their public character.