Education Minister Alausa insists on concession of King’s College amid protests

Nigeria’s Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa has insisted on concession of Kings College Lagos, amid protests against the initiative.

Workers of the Federal Ministry of Education, parents and other stakeholders have mounted opposition against concessioning the school, but the Minister said, he was undeterred, stressing that there is no going back.

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The Minister spoke at a press conference in Abuja, revealing that the move to concession King’s College, Lagos followed due process as part of efforts to improve the school’s infrastructure, resources and management.

The Minister noted that the move to concession the premier school was intentional to address infrastructure management challenges and not an abandonment.

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He accused some Director in the Federal Ministry of Education of inciting workers against government decision.

The Minister accused those he called “unscrupulous elements” of peddling falsehood about the concession, while some workers fell for it.

Alausa said misinformation has been going round among union members and members of staff to deliberately create confusion about the concession.

He accused the Parent-Teacher Association of King’s College of admission racketeering which they demand a whopping sum of N20 million from prospective students.

“The PTA of King’s College has turned admission into King’s College into criminal enterprise,” he alleged.

His declaration came amid escalating opposition by workers in the ministry and other stakeholders, who have raised concerns over the concession of the 117-year old institution to the King’s College Old Boys Association.

According to him, the alumni had spent over N2billion on the institution with nothing to show for it.

He explained that, contrary to reports circulated by the workers, the school was not for sale, stressing that the Federal Government would retain full ownership of the school despite the proposed management arrangement with the Old Boys Association.

“We haven’t sold it to them. The property still remains Federal Government property,” Alausa said, insisting that the government retains 100 per cent ownership of the school.

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