WORKERS in Nigeria’s 115 Federal Unity Colleges, including FGC Enugu, on Monday defied the Federal Government’s order for the reopening of schools for the 2026/2027 academic session.
The workers, under the Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria and the Joint Congress of Unions of the Federal Ministry of Education, vowed to sustain the boycott until the government suspends the concession of King’s College, Lagos, to its old boys’ association.
The development left students who were supposed to resume in the unity colleges stranded, as teachers and other workers stayed away from their duties and kept the school gates shut.
Unions Declare Action ‘Total, Absolute and Unchanged’
The unions declared that the action was “total, absolute and unchanged,” insisting that no Federal Unity College would reopen until the King’s College concession was suspended.
The unions argued that the concession could threaten the future of the Federal Unity College system, warning that allowing private interests to take over King’s College could open the door for similar arrangements in other federal schools.
Minister Insists King’s College Not Sold
The Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, maintained that King’s College had not been sold or privatised.
He explained that the concession only transferred responsibility for financing, rehabilitating, modernising, operating and maintaining the 117-year-old institution to the King’s College Old Boys’ Association, while the Federal Government retained legal ownership and oversight.
PTA Backs Workers’ Position
The Chairman of the King’s College Parent-Teacher Association, Peter Oluwaleye, confirmed the workers’ position, saying no student would resume until further notice.
He said the action had received solidarity from workers in other Federal Unity Colleges across the country.
Oluwaleye further disclosed that the protest had moved beyond the schools, with the unions planning to shut the Federal Ministry of Education in Abuja.
The unions maintained that their action was not merely about workers’ welfare but a “patriotic battle to save public education.”
Private Schools Raise Fees by Up to 30%
Meanwhile, students in other schools across the country resumed on Monday for the 2026/2027 academic session, while parents made last-minute purchases of textbooks and other school materials.
Private schools have also announced fee increases of between 10 and 30 per cent, citing rising costs of fuel, transportation, rent, infrastructure, textbooks and teachers’ salaries.
