The Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), Federal Wing, has backed the suspension of resumption in all Federal Unity Colleges nationwide over the concession of King’s College, Lagos.
The Chairman of NUT, Federal Wing, Mr. Emeka Okonta, stated this in an interview with reporters on Friday in Abuja.
Okonta emphasized that teachers under the Federal Wing would not resume for the new academic session until the issue surrounding the concession of King’s College is addressed.
“We are not resuming. We support the suspension of resumption,” he said.
He explained that the suspension aims to create an opportunity for the union to engage with the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, and seek clarification on the concession of the college.
The union expressed concern that it had not been adequately informed about the agreement reached between the Federal Government and the alumni of King’s College regarding the concession.
“We want to discuss with the minister because we don’t understand the purpose of selling or conceding the school. We want to know what agreement was reached with the alumni,” he said.
Okonta stressed that the union would not support the concession of the college without sufficient information about the arrangement.
He described King’s College as a public institution, warning that allowing its concession could set a precedent for similar arrangements in other Federal Unity Colleges.
“The point is, if you allow that, it will spread to other schools. We don’t want that. It is not advisable. It’s a public institution, so it shouldn’t be concessioned,” he stated.
The union’s position is that the concession should be reversed, and it urged the minister to engage with the unions on the matter.
It is recalled that the Joint Congress of Unions of the Federal Ministry of Education announced on Thursday the suspension of resumption in all Federal Unity Colleges until further notice. The action was a protest against the concession of King’s College, Lagos, and called for its reversal.
Affected institutions include Federal Government Colleges, Federal Government Boys’ Colleges, Federal Government Girls’ Colleges, and Federal Technical Colleges.
The unions also called for the support of stakeholders such as the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), and Trade Union Congress (TUC) in opposing the concession.
The unions maintain that public educational institutions should not be privatized or conceded.
