Aggrieved parents on Tuesday blocked members of the King’s College Old Boys Association (KCOBA) from entering the school premises in Lagos over the Federal Government’s concession of the institution to the association.
The parents formed a human barricade at the school gate despite the presence of police officers led by the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Tijani Fatai.
KCOBA President Kassim Ibrahim-Imam had planned to brief journalists on the concession but was forced to address them outside the school in a tense atmosphere.
Ibrahim-Imam said the association was not taking ownership of King’s College, stressing that the arrangement only gives it responsibility for managing and rehabilitating the institution.
He said KCOBA had no plans to increase school fees or sack staff, adding that the association intended to restore the school’s deteriorating infrastructure.
The Federal Government has similarly clarified that King’s College has not been sold or privatized. Education Minister Tunji Alausa said the government would retain legal ownership and oversight, while KCOBA would finance, rehabilitate, operate, and maintain the 117-year-old school under the Public-Private Partnership arrangement.
However, the parents rejected the concession, arguing that it could undermine the public character and affordability of the school. They also questioned why the government would hand management of a federal institution to an alumni association.
The police commissioner urged both sides to pursue dialogue, warning against any attempt to forcibly enter the school.
The dispute has since spread beyond King’s College, with parents and workers opposing the concession and the resumption of Federal Government Unity Colleges affected by the controversy.
