By Jelili Gbadamosi
Federal Unity Colleges across the country remained shut on Monday as workers under the Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria sustained their indefinite strike over the Federal Government’s proposed management concession of King’s College, Lagos.
The development came despite a directive from the Federal Government for the schools to resume academic activities following a September 16 agreement with education-sector labour unions.
During visits to some Federal Unity Colleges in Lagos and Ibadan, union members were seen around the school premises while many parents kept their children at home.
The Federal Ministry of Education had, in a September 18 memo, directed principals of the colleges to resume academic activities after government and labour representatives reached an agreement aimed at resolving the dispute.
Under the agreement, the unions were expected to suspend the industrial action, while the government agreed to pause implementation of the proposed management takeover of King’s College by its Old Boys’ Association for two weeks.
The agreement also provided for the creation of a seven-member committee to review and negotiate the government’s arrangement with the old students, while policemen deployed to King’s College were to be withdrawn.
However, a faction of the ASCSN led by Shehu Mohammed rejected the agreement, insisting that it was not binding on the union.
The union subsequently directed its members in Federal Unity Colleges nationwide to continue the strike, accusing the Ministry of Education of undermining an earlier agreement reached with ASCSN and the Trade Union Congress.
At King’s College, the ASCSN chapter chairman, Sam Enang, said the school had not resumed, despite the ministry’s directive.
“We have not resumed. The pupils are at home. We have not called off the strike,” Enang said
He alleged that the Federal Ministry of Education breached the agreement with the unions through its handling of the King’s College dispute and by engaging with another group which, according to him, did not have the mandate to represent the association.
Enang said workers had been instructed to remain on strike until the issues surrounding the proposed concession were resolved.
He further said the industrial action affected all 115 Federal Unity Colleges across the country.
At the Federal Government College, Ijanikin, Lagos, the ASCSN chairman, Ayo Hundeyin, also confirmed that workers had not resumed.
Hundeyin expressed concern over what he described as possible plans to transfer the management of other Unity Colleges to private interests, citing institutions in Kano, Port Harcourt and Ilorin.
However, the Federal Government has maintained that King’s College has neither been sold nor privatised, stressing that ownership remains with the government.
Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, also dismissed concerns that the management arrangement at King’s College would be extended to other Federal Unity Colleges.
“No. We’re not extending it. The government still has its responsibility,” Alausa said.
He explained that the government remained committed to funding the rehabilitation of other Unity Colleges while considering alternative ways of addressing their infrastructure needs.
The continued disagreement between the government and the union means academic activities remain disrupted in the affected Federal Unity Colleges, despite the government’s directive for schools to reopen.
