King’s College: Glory, decay and battle over the future

For generations of Nigerians, King’s College, Lagos, has been more than a secondary school; it has been a symbol of academic excellence and a training ground for future leaders.

Founded during the colonial era, this institution shaped generations of Nigerians who later attained prominent positions across government, business, academia, and various professional sectors.

Its name became associated with discipline, academic excellence and the idea of bringing young Nigerians from different parts of the country together to learn and grow.

But decades of inadequate investment and deteriorating infrastructure have raised questions about whether the institution still reflects the reputation for which it became renowned.

Against this backdrop, the Federal Government and the King’s College Old Boys Association (KCOBA) agreed on a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) concession for the institution.

The proposal has generated controversy, with education unions opposing the move.

While the government insists the arrangement is not a sale or privatisation, the dispute has triggered heated debates over how best to preserve the school’s legacy while addressing its deteriorating infrastructure and standards.

The workers’ unions have raised concerns about the proposed arrangement, particularly its implications for staff, the future of the school, and the possibility that it could set a precedent for other unity colleges.

At the centre of the disagreement is a fundamental question: how can government restore the quality and infrastructure of institutions that once represented the pinnacle of public education?

The Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, said the federal government had no plan to sell any of the country’s Federal Unity Colleges.

He described reports to the contrary as misinformation, stressing that the government retained responsibility and ownership of the institutions.

“Federal Government of Nigeria, through the Federal Ministry of Education, is not going to sell any of our Federal Unity Colleges; that is the government position, and go and write it down and hold on to that.

“So, if the unions start telling you that, ‘Oh, they are protesting because they want to sell unity colleges,’ that is absolutely false.

“We are not selling any of our Federal Unity Colleges. Government still has its responsibility.”

He said the arrangement involving King’s College was intended to address the school’s infrastructure and management challenges while restoring its historic status.

He said that King’s College was established to provide an environment capable of producing leaders, much like some renowned institutions globally that have historically served as pipelines for national leadership.

He cited Eton College in the UK and Ivy League universities in the US as examples of institutions that have played important roles in developing generations of leaders.

Mr Alausa argued that Nigeria once had similar institutions, pointing to King’s College, Lagos, and Barewa College, Zaria, as examples of schools that produced prominent Nigerians across generations.

However, he said the condition of some Unity Colleges had deteriorated significantly after decades of accumulated infrastructure deficits.

Mr Alausa recalled that after assuming office, he and the Minister of State for Education, Suwaiba Ahmad, split the country’s regions to inspect the condition of Unity Colleges.

He said his visit to King’s College was conducted unannounced and began at about 7:30 a.m.

Mr Alausa reported encountering a school struggling with serious infrastructure and environmental challenges during the inspection.

He described the toilets and bathrooms as being in poor condition and the students’ dormitories as severely dilapidated.

The minister also expressed concern about the condition of the dining facilities, classrooms and laboratories, saying some areas were poorly lit and had accumulated refuse.

He said the school had also experienced prolonged electricity challenges, recalling how he contacted the management of the electricity distribution company serving the area and insisted that power be restored to the school.

“I will not leave this school today if you do not come and connect this school back to electricity,” he recalled telling the company’s chairman.

He said electricity was subsequently restored to the Senior Secondary School, explaining that the condition he encountered was not limited to one section of King’s College, adding that the Junior Secondary School also required substantial rehabilitation.

Mr Alausa also revealed that another issue that caught his attention during the inspection was the use of parts of the school premises as a car park.

The minister said he observed about 200 vehicles parked in one part of the compound, with additional vehicles near the gate.

He questioned the safety implications of operating a public car park within the premises of a school largely occupied by children.

The minister said he directed the cancellation of the arrangement, expressing concern that unrestricted access to the school could expose students to security risks.

This incident, according to him, highlights the larger management difficulties faced by several Unity Colleges.

For the federal government, the King’s College controversy is therefore not simply about the management of one school but part of a larger debate about the sustainability of public education and the future of the country’s Unity Colleges.

Mr Alausa said government funding alone might not be sufficient to close decades of infrastructure gaps across the schools.

He estimated that the cost of rehabilitating unity colleges would run into hundreds of billions of naira, noting that the government had other competing priorities, including healthcare, security and broader infrastructure.

He said even a hypothetical allocation of N2 trillion would not be sufficient to completely address the infrastructure needs of the 115 Unity Colleges.

The minister said the government was consequently exploring alternative funding and management models while insisting that ownership of the schools would remain with the federal government.

He cited an ongoing effort to repurpose about $20 million from a World Bank-supported programme for the comprehensive rehabilitation of selected Unity Colleges.

He said the federal government was also exploring public-private partnership models for some schools.

Mr Alausa said KCOBA approached the government with a proposal to take responsibility for rehabilitating and managing King’s College through a non-profit arrangement.

He said the association had previously invested substantially in the school but believed more needed to be done to restore its former standard.

“They want their past back,” he said, referring to the Old Boys’ desire to restore the institution that shaped their lives.

Mr Alausa said members of the association included accomplished professionals and business leaders who were willing to commit resources to the school without seeking financial profit.

He said the proposed arrangement would be guided by stringent key performance indicators, with the Ministry of Education monitoring implementation through an oversight team.

The minister also maintained that the arrangement would not result in an increase in school fees.

Beyond infrastructure, however, the government has raised concerns about whether some unity colleges are still fulfilling the original objective for which they were established.

Mr Alausa said King’s College, which was intended to bring together students from different parts of the country, had experienced a shift in its admission pattern.

He alleged that more than 60 per cent of its students currently came from one geopolitical zone.

For him, this undermines the original philosophy of unity colleges as institutions where young Nigerians from different backgrounds could live and learn together.

Sharing similar sentiments, Ms Ahmad stressed that the government’s priority was to improve the learning environment and ensure that students received quality education.

She said no teacher would lose their job as a result of the arrangement and that redeployment would be carried out in line with the Public Service Rules.

She added that teachers would have the opportunity to indicate where they wished to be redeployed.

The minister of state also emphasised the importance of dialogue, noting that the government had already begun engaging with unions and had established committees to review concerns regarding the Memorandum of Understanding and to monitor its implementation.

According to her, the agreement is not cast in stone, and legitimate concerns that could improve its implementation would be considered.

For the Joint Workers Union of the Federal Ministry of Education, however, the issue goes beyond whether the government calls the arrangement a concession, a management agreement, or a partnership.

The Chairman of the Joint Workers Union, Abraham Onuche, said their opposition was not simply about the condition of King’s College but also about the process through which the proposed arrangement was reached.

He contended that proper consultation with the unions and other stakeholders should precede any major decision affecting Federal Unity Colleges.

Mr Onuche argued that allowing KCOBA to manage King’s College could establish a precedent for old students’ associations of other Unity Colleges to seek similar arrangements.

“If that King’s College goes, as we follow in law, that’s what they call precedent.

“That means old boys have set precedent, and tomorrow, another old boys association can say they also want to take over the management of their own school.

“Our demand now is one, that the minister should revoke that decision concerning King’s College and other schools,” he said.

Analysts say the concern is particularly significant because many Unity Colleges have active alumni associations with strong emotional and financial connections to their former schools.

The unions fear that a precedent could gradually change the character of the Federal Unity Colleges, even if the government currently says there is no plan to replicate the King’s College model.

Chigozie Ngadi, chairperson of the Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria (ASCSN), Federal Ministry of Education chapter, said the union’s primary concern was ensuring that children from less privileged families continued to have access to quality education.

Mr Ngadi said the Old Boys Association should contribute to the school without taking it away from the public.

“We are speaking for Nigerians. We are speaking for downtrodden Nigerians to have access to good education.

“We are only demanding that poor children should have access to King’s College and quality education.

“The old boys association should give back to that society that made them what they are and not take from it,” he said.

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Mr Ngadi said the unions were not opposed to partnerships that could improve infrastructure in schools.

He said their preference, however, was for arrangements that would preserve public ownership and ensure that the schools remain accessible to children irrespective of their economic background.

Observers say the dispute has expanded into a broader debate regarding the future of public education in Nigeria.

The government’s primary focus is on rapidly securing resources to stop further institutional decay, arguing that decades of neglect and failing infrastructure demand immediate action.

Conversely, unions urge caution, questioning whether public institutions should be handed over to alumni associations—even non-profit ones.

They underscore the need to protect public ownership, maintain student access, and avoid setting a risky precedent without proper consultation.

While both sides agree that the current situation is unsustainable, students remain caught in the middle of the conflict.