Staff of Federal Unity Colleges across Nigeria have refused to return to work despite the Federal Government’s directive for schools to resume academic activities, insisting that their indefinite strike over the proposed concession of King’s College, Lagos, is still in force.
The development has left students at several federal unity colleges at home as the new academic session struggles to begin in the affected schools.
The workers, under the Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria (ASCSN), maintained that the dispute surrounding King’s College has not been resolved and that the government’s latest directive does not amount to an agreement with the faction leading the strike.
Politics Nigeria reports that the resumption order issued by the Federal Ministry of Education has not brought an end to the industrial action that has disrupted activities in the Federal Unity Colleges.
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.
The directive followed an agreement reached on September 16 between government representatives and labour unions to temporarily suspend the implementation of the management arrangement involving the King’s College Old Boys’ Association.
Under the agreement, the proposed takeover was to be suspended for two weeks.
A seven-member committee was also expected to review and negotiate the agreement involving the government and the old students’ association.
The government further agreed that policemen deployed to King’s College would be withdrawn from the premises.
The unions were expected to suspend the strike during the period while discussions continued.
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.
It subsequently directed workers in Federal Unity Colleges to remain away from their duties.
The position was contained in a September 18 letter addressed to ASCSN branch, chapter and unit leaders across the Federal Unity Colleges.
The union directed workers to suspend academic and administrative activities and set up monitoring teams to ensure that members complied with the strike directive.
It 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 on Monday.
The ASCSN chapter chairman at the school, Sam Enang, said neither the workers nor the students had returned.
“We have not resumed. The pupils are at home. We have not called off the strike,” Enang said.
He said the ministry’s directive had not changed the union’s position.
“The union says an indefinite strike is on and we have started that since yesterday,” he said.
Enang also accused the Federal Ministry of Education of violating agreements reached with the union during the dispute.
“The Federal Ministry of Education defied the agreement of the union by sending police to come to the college and beat up staff and even took a staff member’s child away. That means they have breached their agreement.
“And also, negotiating with a different body, that is a breach of agreement,” he said.
According to him, workers would remain on strike until the issues surrounding King’s College were addressed.
“So, we have been asked to remain on indefinite strike until they reverse the situation at the college. So, nothing is working out here,” he said.
The union official further claimed that the industrial action had spread beyond King’s College to Federal Unity Colleges across the country.
“All Unity Colleges, they are on indefinite strike as I’m talking to you, because of King’s College. And this notice has gone across all six geopolitical zones, and the 115 Unity Colleges we have across the country. No school has resumed,” he said.
He also said parents had been informed about the strike, resulting in students staying away from the schools.
“The students did not show up at all. They did not show up at all,” Enang said.
Explaining how the union communicated with parents, he added, “We have a platform to communicate to parents that they should not come. And the union too has also communicated to parents that nobody should show up.”
The dispute has also 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.
He also claimed 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.
At the Federal Government College, Ijanikin, Lagos, the ASCSN chapter chairman, Ayo Hundeyin, also confirmed that workers had not resumed.
“We have not resumed. The pupils are at home. We have not called off the strike,” he said.
Hundeyin said the workers were particularly concerned about reports of possible arrangements involving other Federal Unity Colleges.
“We are aware that there are similar plans to hand over Unity Colleges in Kano, Port Harcourt, and Ilorin. The education of our children is our priority, and we won’t support any privatisation of our schools,” he said.
The workers’ concerns come against the backdrop of the Federal Government’s decision to concession the management of King’s College to its Old Boys’ Association under a public-private partnership arrangement.
The proposed arrangement has generated protests from workers who fear that it could change the character of the institution and potentially affect access to federal education.
The Federal Government, however, has repeatedly rejected the description of the arrangement as a sale or privatisation of King’s College.
Education Minister, Tunji Alausa, has maintained that the federal government will retain ownership of the institution.
Alausa also dismissed concerns that the government intends to extend the arrangement to other Federal Unity Colleges.
“No. We’re not extending it. The government still has its responsibility,” Alausa said.
The minister 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.
