Staff of Federal Unity Colleges nationwide defied the Federal Government’s directive to resume academic activities on Monday, insisting that their indefinite strike over the concession of King’s College, Lagos, remains in force.
Recall that the college staff, under the auspices of the Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria, had ignored the initial September 13 resumption date, maintaining that their stance was, “No reversal, no resumption.”
During visits to some Unity Colleges in Lagos and Ibadan on Monday, staff union members were sighted in front of the school gates, while parents largely stayed away despite the Federal Government’s resumption directive.
The Federal Government had, in a September 18 memo to principals of the Unity Colleges, directed that academic activities resume following the agreement it said was reached with the labour unions over the dispute.
The directive followed the Federal Government’s agreement on September 16 to suspend for two weeks the implementation of the planned management takeover of King’s College by the institution’s Old Boys’ Association.
The agreement was reached at a meeting between the education ministers and representatives of education-sector labour unions in Abuja amid protests and industrial action over the concession of the 117-year-old college.
Under the five-point agreement, the unions were to immediately suspend the industrial action, while the government assured workers that no staff member would be victimised for participating in the protest.
The parties also agreed to a two-week pause in the implementation of the takeover arrangement involving the King’s College Old Boys’ Association, while a seven-member committee would be constituted to review and negotiate the Federal Government’s agreement with the old students.
Another resolution was the redeployment of policemen from the premises of King’s College.
However, the Shehu Mohammed-led faction of ASCSN maintained that the agreement was not binding on it, accusing the ministry of subsequently negotiating with persons it said lacked the mandate to represent the association.
The union insisted that the industrial action remained in force until the issues in dispute were fully resolved.
In a September 18 letter to state branch chairmen, chapter chairmen, unit chairmen of Federal Unity Colleges and state secretaries, the union accused the Ministry of Education of undermining the September 14 agreement reached with ASCSN and the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria.
The letter directed members to halt academic and administrative activities, constitute monitoring teams to enforce compliance and disregard any counter-directives from school authorities or ministry officials.
At King’s College, Lagos, the Chairman of the ASCSN chapter, Sam Enang, told The PUNCH that the school had not resumed.
“We have not resumed. The pupils are at home. We have not called off the strike,” Enang said.
Asked about the ministry’s circular directing schools to resume, he said, “The union says an indefinite strike is on and we have started that since yesterday.”
Enang linked the continued strike to the King’s College concession, alleging that the Ministry of Education had breached the agreement reached with the unions.
“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.
He said staff had been directed to remain on indefinite strike until the situation at King’s College was reversed.
“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.
Enang said the strike was not limited to King’s College, insisting that workers in the 115 Federal Unity Colleges nationwide had been directed to remain on strike.
“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 added that no student reported at King’s College on Sunday despite the government’s resumption directive.
“The students did not show up at all. They did not show up at all,” Enang said, attributing the development to communication between the union and parents.
“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,” he said.
The union chairman also alleged that the deployment of policemen to King’s College and the confrontation between security personnel and protesting workers contributed to the decision to sustain the strike.
The policemen, who had been deployed to the college following the confrontation between staff and members of the Old Boys’ Association, have since left the premises, according to Enang.
He alleged that the police spent two to three days at the school and that the gates were damaged during the confrontation.
Also affirming the continuation of the strike, the Chairman of ASCSN at the Federal Government College, Ijanikin, Lagos, Ayo Hundeyin, said the school had not resumed.
“We have not resumed. The pupils are at home. We have not called off the strike,” he said.
Hundeyin said workers were also concerned about what he described as plans to hand over other Unity Colleges to private interests.
“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 dispute has lingered following opposition from workers to 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 Federal Government has maintained that King’s College has not been sold or privatised, stressing that legal ownership remains with it.
Education Minister, Tunji Alausa, also said the arrangement was an isolated case and would not be extended to other Unity Colleges.
“No. We’re not extending it. The government still has its responsibility,” Alausa said.
He said the government remained committed to funding the rehabilitation of other Unity Colleges directly, while exploring alternative funding mechanisms to address their infrastructure deficits.