The Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria (ASCSN) and the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) have called for greater scrutiny of plans to concession King’s College, Lagos, and other Federal Unity Colleges, amid concerns over public ownership, workers’ rights and access to education.
ASCSN’s Head of Research and Development Unit, Strategic Media Group, Mr Captain Tar, on Sunday September 20, said any concession involving public educational institutions should undergo legal, financial, procurement, labour and public-interest reviews. He urged stakeholders to seek clarity on the parties involved, duration, financial obligations, impact on existing employees, performance monitoring and safeguards for public ownership.
NLC President, Mr Joe Ajaero, however, rejected the proposed concession, arguing that it could create a precedent for transferring other Unity Colleges to private entities and potentially lead to fees and tariffs that could make the schools less accessible to average-income families. He said government should instead adequately fund and maintain the institutions, which he described as important to national unity and public education.
Ajaero said the NLC supported protests against the concession of King’s College and other Unity Colleges, while urging government to preserve the schools through effective funding and management. ASCSN, meanwhile, stressed that questioning concession plans should not automatically be viewed as opposition to reform, saying transparency, workers’ rights, institutional sustainability and protection of public assets should guide the process.
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