Concession of King’s College: Parents mobilise for protest

The controversy over the concession of King’s College, Lagos, to the King’s College Old Boys’ Association, KCOBA, by the Federal Government may be far from over, as parents and other stakeholders are mobilising for a mass protest against the move.

Speaking with Vanguard’s correspondent, the Chairman of the Parent-Teacher Association, PTA, Mr Peter Oluwaseye, said the protest had become necessary because of the opposition to the concession by virtually all stakeholders.

“Parents are not in support of the move. Senior civil servants are also saying no to it. The community is also not in support. Old boys should not see the college as their property. They attended the school just like the current students are doing. King’s College is a public property.

“The old students should give to the college willingly, not wanting to take it over. They won’t succeed. There is no private entity that can assemble the type of teachers we have in the college. We say no to concession, whatever guise it is being planned,” he said.

Recall that the President of KCOBA, Alhaji Kashim Ibrahim-Imam, early last month publicly announced the concession of the college to the association.

The old boys also launched a N100 billion endowment fund to reposition the 116-year-old institution.

Among the first donors to the fund were the First Lady of Nigeria, Mrs Oluremi Tinubu, who donated N10 million, and Ibrahim-Imam, who donated N1 billion. The former Board of Trustees (BoT) Chairman, Chief Philip Asiodu, and the association’s new Board Chairman, Alhaji Femi Okunnu, also donated N100 million each.

The concession is intended to finance infrastructure renewal, teacher development, digital technology, scholarships, innovation, research and students’ welfare.

Ibrahim-Imam described the development as a defining moment in the history of the college and a potential blueprint for the renewal of public education in Nigeria.

He noted that the arrangement would enable the old students’ association to partner with the government in upgrading the school’s infrastructure, strengthening governance and improving learning outcomes without altering its ownership.

He allayed fears that the government had sold the college to the association, saying it was not a privatisation agreement, saying “Rather, it is the establishment of a new governance framework through which KCOBA will partner with government to restore, strengthen, modernise, and sustain one of Nigeria’s greatest educational institutions.

“Today, we gather at a truly defining moment—not merely in the history of King’s College Lagos, but in the continuing evolution of public education in Nigeria. There are occasions that simply mark the passage of time, and there are occasions that redefine history. Today belongs firmly to the latter.

“The approval by the Federal Government of the concession of King’s College Lagos to the King’s College Old Boys’ Association represents one of the most consequential developments since the establishment of our great institution in 1909. For over one hundred and sixteen years, King’s College has stood as one of the most respected symbols of educational excellence on the African continent. It has nurtured generations of exceptional Nigerians who have distinguished themselves in public service, diplomacy, business, academia, medicine, engineering, the military, the judiciary, technology, and virtually every sphere of national life.

“Its graduates have shaped governments. They have built industries. They have transformed communities. They have defended democracy. They have served humanity. Yet, as proud as we are of our history, we have also watched, with growing concern, the gradual deterioration of many of the facilities, systems, and structures that once made King’s College the undisputed standard bearer of secondary education in Nigeria.” 

Giving an insight into how the journey towards the concession approval began, Ibrahim-Imam stated: “This historic milestone did not happen overnight. It is the culmination of years of careful planning, sustained advocacy, constructive engagement, and unwavering commitment by generations of Kingsmen who refused to accept that decline should define the future of their alma mater.”