By CHRISTIAN OGBONNA

Parents and education-sector union leaders in Ebonyi have expressed concern over reports of an alleged plan by the Federal Government to sell, concession or privatise King’s College, Lagos.

The development has triggered opposition from education-sector unions, with the Academic Staff Union of Colleges of Education (ASCSN) units at Federal Government Girls’ College (FGGC), Ezzamgbo, and Federal Government College (FGC), Okposi, directing parents to keep their children and wards at home.

The Unit Chairman of ASCSN at FGGC, Ezzamgbo, Dr Rachael Benson-Ogbu, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday in Abakaliki that the directive was part of efforts to draw the Federal Government’s attention to the need to protect the nation’s educational heritage.

Benson-Ogbu said the union was particularly concerned about reports of plans to sell or concession King’s College, Lagos, and potentially other Federal Unity Colleges.

She said unions and staff of the Federal Ministry of Education across the country were opposed to any move to sell, concession or privatise the institutions.

According to her, the schools were national assets established to provide quality public education and should not be transferred to private interests.

NAN recalls that the Federal Government had announced September 13 as the resumption date for students in Federal Unity Schools nationwide.

However, in a notice to parents, the ASCSN leadership at FGGC Ezzamgbo advised parents not to bring their children to the school until further notice.

“No resumption till further notice. ASCSN, FGGC, Ezzamgbo, advises all parents to remain calm, keep your wards with you at home and avoid making unnecessary trips to the school on Sunday, Sept. 13, 2026, pending further clarification and official directives,” Benson-Ogbu said.

She urged parents to remain calm, assuring them that further information would be communicated when available.

The union’s position followed a resolution attributed to the Joint Congress of Unions and staff of the Federal Ministry of Education, which rejected the reported concession of King’s College, Lagos.

The unions said the suspension of resumption was a direct response to the reported concession of the Lagos institution, which they described as unacceptable.

They said they “firmly oppose the sale, concession, or privatisation of King’s College, Lagos, or any other Federal Unity College in Nigeria.”

Also speaking, a staff member of FGC, Okposi, who preferred anonymity, said Federal Unity Colleges were national institutions and part of the country’s educational heritage.

The staff member argued that the management and ownership of the institutions should remain under public control, adding that the schools were established to provide accessible and quality education to Nigerian children.

He also decried what he described as the alleged refusal of the Minister of Education to grant the unions an audience to discuss the matter, despite repeated requests over the past month.

He said the alleged lack of engagement had left the unions with no option but to take a stand in defence of public education.

“The unions resolved that there should be no resumption until the matter is satisfactorily resolved and the alleged plan to sell or concession King’s College, Lagos, is reversed,” he said.

NAN reports that the development has left parents who had prepared to return their wards to Federal Unity Colleges uncertain about the commencement of the new academic session.

Some parents expressed concern over the uncertainty surrounding the resumption, particularly those who had already made arrangements for their children to return to school.

Mr Patrick Obumneme, a parent, expressed concern over the reported plans to sell or concession King’s College and other Federal Unity Colleges, urging the Federal Government to reconsider and cancel any of such move.

Obumneme said the institutions represented an important part of Nigeria’s educational heritage and should continue to be managed as public schools for the benefit of future generations.

As of the time of filing this report, the Federal Ministry of Education had yet to publicly respond to the unions’ allegations or clarify the status of the reported concession or proposed sale of King’s College, Lagos. (NAN)