The disagreement further escalated tensions between the Federal Ministry of Education and the Joint Workers Committee of Unions (JWC), even as the ministry’s headquarters in Abuja and Federal Government Unity Colleges across the country remained shut.
The meeting, which was expected to provide an opportunity for the government and the unions to address the controversy surrounding the proposed concession, reportedly collapsed after Alausa insisted that the talks should take place at the headquarters of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund).
The workers, however, rejected the proposed venue and insisted that the minister should meet them at the Federal Ministry of Education headquarters in Abuja, which they described as their official workplace.
A senior official of the JWC, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the workers had agreed to meet the minister at the ministry on Tuesday, but insisted that the shutdown would continue.
“The Minister wanted the meeting to be held at TETFund on the grounds that he would not be safe if it were held at the Ministry. However, we insisted that the Ministry of Education should be the venue because this is our workplace. We have agreed to allow him to come to the Ministry for a meeting with us at 1 p.m. tomorrow (today). But the Ministry and all Unity Colleges remain shut,” the official said.
The disagreement came against the backdrop of a major protest by the workers, who on Monday barricaded the entrance to the ministry’s headquarters in Abuja.
The action prevented ministry officials and other workers from gaining access to the premises, effectively disrupting official activities as the unions intensified pressure on the government to halt the concession plan.
Workers oppose 35-year concession
The proposed concession of King’s College, one of Nigeria’s prominent Federal Government-owned secondary schools, has become the centre of a widening dispute between the government and education-sector unions.
Under the proposal, the institution is expected to be concessioned for a period of 35 years, a development that has attracted strong opposition from the workers.
The unions are demanding an immediate suspension of the process, insisting that the government must first consult adequately with workers and other relevant stakeholders before proceeding with any decision concerning the institution.
The workers are particularly concerned that transferring the management of the school to the King’s College Old Boys Association could alter the character of the institution and weaken its status as a publicly owned Federal Government school.
They also fear that approving the arrangement could establish a precedent for the concession of other Federal Government-owned schools to private or non-governmental interests.
For the unions, the dispute is therefore not limited to King’s College alone but raises broader questions about the future management, ownership and funding of Federal Government schools.
Unity Colleges remain shut
The dispute also resulted in the continued closure of Federal Government Unity Colleges across the country on Monday, with students unable to commence academic activities for the new term.
Teachers and other categories of workers in several Unity Colleges reportedly barricaded school entrances in compliance with the directive from the workers’ unions.
The action effectively prevented the commencement of the first term in the affected schools and came despite an earlier directive from the Federal Government for the institutions to reopen.
The unions, however, maintained that there would be no resumption until the government addressed their grievances, particularly the proposed concession of King’s College.
The shutdown has consequently placed the government under increasing pressure to resolve the dispute before it further disrupts the academic calendar of Federal Government Unity Colleges.
Dispute strains government-union relations
Beyond the concession controversy, the latest development has exposed deeper tensions between the education ministry and the unions.
The workers have accused the minister of failing to sufficiently engage them on important issues concerning staff welfare, school administration and the future direction of Federal Government-owned educational institutions.
The unions’ decision to barricade the ministry and sustain the closure of Unity Colleges reflects the growing intensity of their opposition to what they consider inadequate consultation by the government.
The Guardian had earlier reported that the resumption of Federal Government Unity Colleges was under threat after workers vowed to defy the government’s directive and suspend academic activities over the King’s College concession plan.
With the minister and the JWC expected to meet at the ministry on Tuesday, attention is now focused on whether the proposed talks will produce a breakthrough or further deepen the confrontation.
For now, however, the ministry and the affected Unity Colleges remain shut, leaving the dispute over the future of King’s College at the centre of a broader standoff between the Federal Government and education workers.