The Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), Federal Wing, has supported the suspension of resumption in all Federal Unity Colleges across the country over the concession of King’s College, Lagos.
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The Chairman of the NUT Federal Wing, Emeka Okonta, said the union would not resume for the new academic session until the issue surrounding the concession of the college was properly addressed.
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Okonta said the suspension would provide an opportunity for the unions to meet with the Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, to seek clarification on the agreement between the Federal Government and the alumni of King’s College.
According to him, the union was concerned that teachers had not been adequately informed about the terms and reasons behind the concession arrangement.
He said the NUT wanted to understand the basis of the agreement and the purpose of handing the public institution over under the concession arrangement before taking any further steps.
The union chairman said the NUT could not support the concession without sufficient information about the agreement, stressing that King’s College remained a public educational institution.
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He also warned that allowing the concession to proceed could lead to similar arrangements in other Federal Unity Colleges, which the union said it would oppose.
Okonta maintained that public schools should remain under public ownership and called for the reversal of the concession decision. He also urged the education minister to engage the unions and address their concerns.
The position followed a decision by the Joint Congress of Unions of the Federal Ministry of Education to suspend the resumption of all Federal Unity Colleges nationwide until further notice.
The unions said the action was taken in protest against the concession of King’s College, Lagos, and demanded that the Federal Government reverse the decision.
The affected institutions include Federal Government Colleges, Federal Government Boys’ Colleges, Federal Government Girls’ Colleges and Federal Technical Colleges.
The unions also called for support from other stakeholders, including 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.
They maintained that public educational institutions should not be privatised or transferred through concession arrangements.
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