•Joint Workers Union protest today
The Joint Workers Union today protested at the Federal Ministry of Education headquarters in Abuja over the reported 35-year concession of King’s College, Lagos, to its old boys association, threatening to shut down the ministry and all 115 Federal Unity Colleges if the decision is not reversed.
The union, comprising the Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria (ASCSN) and four other unions, also accused the Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, of outsourcing core activities of the ministry to consultants while allegedly neglecting workers’ concerns and demands.
The protest followed the ministry’s announcement of the transfer of King’s College to its old boys association under a 35-year concession arrangement, reports The Guardian.
The protesters who barricaded the entrance to the Ministry after their emergency meeting on Thursday, held placards with various inscriptions, ‘Tinubu must hear this’, ‘Alausa must go’, ‘No resumption of Unity Colleges in Nigeria’ among others.
Speaking with our correspondent, an official of the union, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the protest was also triggered by the minister’s alleged refusal to meet with the Joint Workers Union (JWU), the umbrella body of unions in the ministry, for about a month.
According to the official, the workers had sought an audience with Alausa to table several “burning issues” affecting staff, but their requests had allegedly been ignored.
The official said the workers were particularly opposed to handing over King’s College to the old boys, arguing that such a concession could lead to downsizing and put the jobs of ministry workers at risk.
“By the time you privatise, you are downsizing, you sack people, and the union will not accept this,” the official said.
The union further alleged that the development could set a precedent for the other Federal Unity Colleges, warning that allowing the King’s College arrangement to proceed could expose the remaining schools to similar concessions.
The workers also raised concerns over what they described as the increasing use of consultants to perform functions traditionally handled by ministry departments.
“Activities in the ministry have been outsourced to consultants. We have special advisers in virtually all departments, while there are directors and other senior officers who should be handling these responsibilities,” the official alleged.
The union also complained about outstanding payments owed staff who participated in 2024 activities, including data collection exercises and capacity-building programmes.
According to the official, some workers borrowed money to participate in official assignments but were yet to be reimbursed, despite the activities having taken place in 2024.
The protesters further demanded an explanation for the rationale behind conceding a premium Federal Unity College, insisting that the government should clarify why it was relinquishing control of the institution.
The official said the workers had previously raised similar concerns over developments involving other Federal Government schools, alleging that some school properties had been made available for private development.
The protest continued despite attempts by the Acting Permanent Secretary and other senior officials of the ministry to address the workers.
The union official said the protesters insisted on meeting directly with the minister, whom they accused of repeatedly avoiding engagement with the unions.
The workers threatened to continue their protest at the ministry from 7am on Friday and declared that the 115 Federal Unity Colleges nationwide would be shut down indefinitely until the minister addresses their grievances.
The official said the shutdown would affect schools across the country, including those in the South-West, where workers had already announced plans to halt activities.
The union also called for Alausa’s removal as Minister of Education, accusing him of failing to address what it described as mounting problems in the ministry.
The protesters maintained that the Federal Government should prioritise strengthening and expanding public education institutions rather than concession existing schools.
They questioned the government’s policy direction, noting that while there had been calls for more federal technical and unity schools to promote youth development and self-reliance, existing institutions were allegedly being handed over to private interests.
The workers therefore demanded an immediate review of the King’s College concession and renewed engagement between the ministry’s management and the Union to resolve the broader issues.
