The Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria has suspended its strike over the concession of King’s College, Lagos, paving the way for the reopening of the 115 Federal Unity Colleges across the country.
The decision was reached at a meeting involving the leadership of the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria, ASCSN and zonal coordinators of the Unity Schools in Kano on Tuesday.
According to a communiqué issued on Wednesday, the union leaders agreed to suspend the industrial action to allow a seven-member committee to review the concession document for King’s College.
The suspension comes about two weeks after the ASCSN and the Parent Teacher Association shut down the Federal Unity Colleges over the concession of King’s College to its Old Boys Association.
The colleges were initially scheduled to resume on September 13, but workers under the ASCSN directed their members to boycott the resumption, arguing that the concession arrangement could affect the future of the Federal Unity College system.
The union leaders, at Tuesday’s meeting, reviewed the agreement reached between organised labour and the Federal Ministry of Education, as well as the concession document for King’s College.
They subsequently resolved “to suspend the ongoing strike action in the Unity Colleges to enable the seven (7) man Committee to review the Concession document.”
The union said the decision was also influenced by the fact that the implementation of the King’s College concession had been put on hold pending the outcome of the committee’s work.
The ASCSN has two representatives on the seven member committee.
“Considering the above, the Zonal Coordinators of the Unity Schools agreed with the National Leadership of the ASCSN that the strike be suspended immediately while awaiting the report of the committee,” the communiqué stated.
The communiqué was signed by the zonal coordinators of the Unity Schools, including Omidiji Kunle, Lagos Zonal Coordinator; Abubakar Muhammad, North-West Coordinator; Yusuf S.A., South West Coordinator; Tanko Augustine, North-East Coordinator; Udop Ogbodim, South-South Coordinator; Nosike F.O., South-East Coordinator; and Amodu Isiaka, North-Central Coordinator.
Following the suspension, the Parent Teacher Association of the Federal Unity Colleges proposed Sunday, September 27, 2026, for students to return to their schools.
The parents welcomed the suspension of the strike, describing it as an opportunity for the Federal Government, labour and other stakeholders to continue discussions over the King’s College concession.
In a statement signed by Farmer Ayopo Somefun, the South-West Zonal Coordinator of the PTA Chairmen Association of Federal Unity Colleges, FTC, Ijebu Mushin, Ogun State, the parents said they were ready to support the immediate resumption of academic activities.
However, they said the proposed September 27 date was subject to confirmation by the Federal Ministry of Education.
“We therefore call on the Federal Ministry of Education to urgently communicate its position on the proposed 27th September 2026 resumption date,” the parents stated.
The PTA said early confirmation was necessary to enable parents and other stakeholders to make adequate arrangements for students to return to school.
The parents also urged the Federal Government, labour, school authorities and other stakeholders to sustain dialogue while the seven-member committee carries out its assignment.
They further called for the release or restoration of PTA staff affected by government action, saying the issue should be addressed before the schools fully resume.
The parents appealed to the government and labour to allow the committee to complete its review without pressure.The controversy over King’s College intensified after the Federal Ministry of Education, in a September 4 letter, directed the immediate handover of the institution to the King’s College Old Boys Association following the conclusion of the concession agreement.
The ministry had said a transition committee would complete the handover within six months, after which Federal Government funding of the college would cease.
The government, however, maintained that the arrangement did not amount to the sale or privatisation of King’s College.
The Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, said the Federal Government retained legal ownership of the 117-year-old institution, while the Old Boys Association would be responsible for financing, rehabilitating, modernising, operating and maintaining the school.
The ASCSN and other workers rejected the concession, extending their opposition to the reopening of the Federal Unity Colleges until the issue was addressed.
The dispute later escalated when members of the King’s College Old Boys Association, accompanied by police personnel, entered the school premises despite resistance from protesting staff.
On September 16, the Federal Government and organised labour reached an agreement to suspend the implementation of the King’s College concession for two weeks.
The agreement also provided for the seven-member committee to review the concession document and address concerns raised by the unions.
However, a faction of the ASCSN led by its National President, Shehu Mohammed, rejected the suspension at the time and maintained that the strike remained in force.
With the latest decision by the union leadership and the zonal coordinators, the strike has now been suspended pending the outcome of the committee’s review.
