The Joint Congress of Unions of the Federal Ministry of Education has suspended the resumption of students in all Federal Unity Colleges across Nigeria, escalating its opposition to the 35-year concession of King’s College, Lagos, to its old boys association.

In a communiqué dated September 10, 2026, the unions directed that the First Term academic session, earlier scheduled to commence on Saturday, September 12 should not resume until further notice.

The directive affects the over 100 Federal Unity Colleges across the country, comprising Federal Government Colleges, Federal Government Boys’ Colleges, Federal Government Girls’ Colleges and Federal Technical Colleges.

In a communique seen by The Guardian, the workers said the decision was triggered by the reported concession of King’s College, Lagos, which they described as unacceptable, insisting that they opposed the sale, concession or privatisation of the institution or any other Federal Unity College.

The document was addressed to parents, guardians, school-based management committees (SBMC), Parent-Teacher Associations (PTA), community leaders, and the general public.

“This suspension is a direct consequence of the concession of King’s College, Lagos, by the authorities, a development which the Joint Congress of Unions vehemently rejects in its entirety,” the communiqué stated.

The unions declared that “No resumption shall take place” in any Federal Unity College until the matter was satisfactorily resolved and the planned concession of King’s College reversed.

They accused the Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa of refusing to grant them an audience for about one month despite repeated requests, saying the failure to engage them in dialogue had left them with “no option” but to take a stand in defence of public education.

The workers also called on parents, community leaders, School-Based Management Committees and Parent-Teacher Associations to join their campaign against the concession of the schools.

“We are not ready for the privatization of our educational institutions,” they declared.

The unions further sought the solidarity of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ), Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC) in their effort to prevent the sale or concession of any Federal Unity College.

“Education must not be privatized,” the Joint Congress declared, promising to keep parents, guardians and the general public informed of further developments.

The latest decision came barely hours after the unions barricaded the headquarters of the Federal Ministry of Education in Abuja on Thursday, protesting the reported 35-year concession of King’s College to its old boys association.

During the protest, the workers also condemned what they described as the outsourcing of the Ministry’s activities to consultants and Special Advisers, and called for the sack of the Minister.

The unions had threatened to shut down the Ministry and the Federal Unity Colleges if their demands were not addressed.

The Guardian reports that opposition to the development has continued to gather momentum, with parents, students and civil society groups rejecting the plan and demanding that the Federal Government reverse the decision.

Meanwhile, the Education Rights Campaign (ERC) has thrown its weight behind the ongoing opposition to the concession, demanding that the Federal Government immediately reverse the decision and return the institution to full public ownership.

The group described the concession to the King’s College Old Boys Association (KCOBA) as an “ill-thought-out plan” and a direct attack on public education and working-class families who rely on affordable access to quality schooling.

In a statement signed by its Deputy National Coordinator, Ogunjimi Isaac, and National Mobilisation Officer, Adaramoye Michael Lenin, the ERC said King’s College had, over the years, provided educational opportunities for children from working-class and middle-class families at fees significantly lower than those charged by comparable private schools.

The group argued that the concession would worsen the crisis in public education, particularly as the Federal Ministry of Education had indicated that government funding for the school would cease under the new arrangement.

“The concession of King’s College is a furtherance of this anti-people policy of underfunding education, and also placing education at the mercy of private profiteers,” the group said.

The ERC urged members of KCOBA to abandon plans to take over the management of the school and instead support it through donations for improved infrastructure, facilities and personnel.

It, however, stressed that such contributions should not replace the government’s responsibility to fund public education.

The group also backed the strike embarked upon by King’s College workers under the Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria (ASCSN), as well as the opposition of the school’s Parent-Teacher Association to the concession.

It called for the resistance to be expanded into a broader campaign involving students, teachers, workers, parents, civil society organisations and members of the public.