Staff of Federal Unity Colleges across Nigeria have refused to return to work despite a directive from the Federal Government for schools to resume academic activities. The workers, under the Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria (ASCSN), are protesting the proposed concession of King's College, Lagos, and insist that their indefinite strike is still in force. The strike has left students at several federal unity colleges at home as the new academic session struggles to begin.
The Federal Government had directed principals of the affected schools to resume academic activities after a meeting with education-sector labour unions over the King's College controversy. An agreement was reached on September 16 to temporarily suspend the implementation of the management arrangement involving the King's College Old Boys' Association. A seven-member committee was set up to review and negotiate the agreement, and policemen deployed to King's College were to be withdrawn. However, the Shehu Mohammed-led faction of ASCSN rejected the position that the agreement had brought the dispute to an end.
The union accused the Ministry of Education of dealing with individuals it said did not have the authority to negotiate on its behalf. In a letter dated September 18, the union directed workers in Federal Unity Colleges to remain away from their duties and set up monitoring teams to ensure compliance with the strike directive. The union also told its members to disregard contrary instructions from school authorities or officials of the Federal Ministry of Education.
At King's College in Lagos, the position of the workers remained unchanged, with the ASCSN chapter chairman, Sam Enang, stating that neither the workers nor the students had returned. Enang accused the Federal Ministry of Education of violating agreements reached with the union during the dispute, including sending police to the college to beat up staff and take a staff member's child away. He said the union's indefinite strike would continue until the issues surrounding King's College were addressed.
The industrial action has spread beyond King's College to Federal Unity Colleges across the country, with Enang claiming that all 115 Unity Colleges had joined the strike. He said parents had been informed about the strike, resulting in students staying away from the schools. The union has a platform to communicate with parents, and Enang said that no school had resumed.
The dispute has been linked to the earlier deployment of security personnel to King's College following a confrontation involving protesting workers and members of the Old Boys' Association. Enang alleged that policemen remained at the school for several days before eventually leaving the premises, and that the confrontation resulted in damage to parts of the school gates. The disagreement over King's College has become the central issue behind the wider industrial action involving workers in the Federal Unity Colleges.
Education Minister, Tunji Alausa, has maintained that the federal government will retain ownership of King's College and dismissed concerns that the government intends to extend the arrangement to other Federal Unity Colleges. Alausa said the government remained responsible for funding the rehabilitation of the other Unity Colleges and was considering other ways of addressing infrastructure challenges in the schools. The workers, however, remain concerned about reports of possible arrangements involving other Federal Unity Colleges.
Key points
- The Federal Unity Colleges staff have refused to return to work despite a government directive, citing unresolved disputes over King's College concession.
- The strike has spread to all 115 Federal Unity Colleges across Nigeria, with students staying away from schools.
- The Education Minister has assured that the government will retain ownership of King's College and not extend the concession arrangement to other Federal Unity Colleges.
