Aggrieved workers of the Federal Ministry of Education on Wednesday blocked the entrance to the ministry’s headquarters, preventing the Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, and the Acting Permanent Secretary, Folake Olatunji-David, from accessing their offices.
The workers, who gathered at the ministry’s entrance, were heard chanting, “Alausa must go,” as a motorcade reportedly conveying the minister arrived at the premises.
Politics Nigeria understands that the protest is linked to an ongoing dispute between workers’ unions and the Federal Government over the proposed concession of King’s College, Lagos, alongside other grievances raised by the unions against the ministry’s leadership.
The unions have opposed the reported 35-year concession of the century-old college to its Old Boys’ Association and have previously demanded Alausa’s removal.
This latest action followed a confrontation at King’s College on Tuesday, where protesting workers clashed with security personnel and members of the Old Boys’ Association over access to the school.
The association had planned to hold a press conference inside the school to explain the Federal Government’s decision to transfer management of the institution to the Old Boys under a Public-Private Partnership arrangement.
However, protesters blocked the school’s entrance, forcing the association’s president, Kashim Ibrahim-Imam, and other members to address journalists outside the main gate.
Ibrahim-Imam rejected claims that the arrangement amounted to the sale or privatisation of King’s College, saying the Federal Executive Council approved the transfer of its management to the Old Boys on a PPP basis to facilitate the rehabilitation and development of its infrastructure.
“PPP does not in any way signify a sale of the school to the Old Boys. The Federal Government is not selling King’s College to anybody.
“Also, the Old Boys are not interested in buying King’s College. The role of the Old Boys Association, over the years, has been to invest in developing the infrastructure across the two campuses. That has primarily been our role,” he said.
He also dismissed reports that the arrangement would result in higher school fees, saying the focus was on restoring the college’s deteriorating facilities.
“There has also been a lot of what I consider to be disinformation, especially concerning the payment of school fees. At no time did the Old Boys imply that we are going to increase school fees. Our objective is to develop the college,” Ibrahim-Imam said.
He described the proposed intervention as a “rescue mission”, noting that the condition of the facilities was understandable given the institution’s more than 100-year history.
On the welfare of teachers, he said those who opted to remain under the PPP arrangement would have their salaries and allowances doubled.
“For those who will elect to remain as teachers in King’s College, we will double their salaries and allowances. The Old Boys have made this commitment in order to motivate the teachers to work harder,” he said.
He added that teachers unwilling to remain under the new arrangement would retain their status as Federal Ministry of Education employees and could be transferred to other federal schools, including Federal Government College, Ijanikin, or Queen’s College.
The association said its intervention was motivated by a desire to give back to the institution, which currently has about 2,500 students.
But the briefing at the school descended into a confrontation as protesting workers sang solidarity songs in an apparent attempt to drown out the school anthem being rendered by members of the Old Boys’ Association.
Speaking for the protesters, National Coordinator of the Federal Workers Forum, Andrew Emelieze, insisted that the workers would continue their action until the government reversed the concession.
“King’s College is not for concessioning. King’s College is not for sale. King’s College is not for privatisation. Unity Schools are not for sale, and we are here peacefully,” Emelieze said.
He accused the police of putting pressure on the protesters after the arrival of the Old Boys’ Association, arguing that the development was inconsistent with democratic principles.
“Our leaders are in Abuja meeting the Minister of Education on this issue, and we were here peacefully until the Old Boys’ came, using the Nigeria Police, and forcefully entered.
“This is not the best way to go in a democracy. Protest is constitutional; it is legal. The Nigeria Police owe us a duty to protect us when we are protesting, but what we are seeing is the reverse,” he said.
Emelieze maintained that the Federal Government should continue to fund and maintain public schools rather than transfer their management to private interests.
“If the Old Boys are interested in building schools and want education to move forward, they can gather money, buy land and build their own school. They should leave Unity Schools for the Federal Government to sponsor,” he said.