Tension erupted at King’s College, Lagos, as protesting staff union members clashed with security personnel who attempted to open the school’s main gate for members of the Old Boys’ Association.
The old students had arrived at the college for a press conference scheduled to take place within the school premises, but the protesting workers prevented them from gaining access.
Unable to enter the compound, the President of the Old Boys’ Association, Kashim Ibrahim-Imam, addressed journalists alongside other old students outside the main gate.
Ibrahim-Imam said the Federal Government had approved the transfer of the management of King’s College to the Old Boys on a Public-Private Partnership basis to enable the association to rehabilitate the institution.
He stressed that the arrangement did not amount to the sale or privatisation of the school, saying the association’s primary interest was to improve its infrastructure.
Ibrahim-Imam said, “The Federal Executive Council met and resolved that the management of King’s College, Lagos, should be handed over to the Old Boys on a Public-Private Partnership basis.
“PPP does not in any way signify a sale of the school to the Old Boys. The Federal Government is not selling King’s College to anybody.
“Also, the Old Boys are not interested in buying King’s College. The role of the Old Boys Association, over the years, has been to invest in developing the infrastructure across the two campuses. That has primarily been our role.”
He also dismissed concerns that the PPP arrangement would lead to an increase in school fees, saying the association’s focus was on restoring the college’s deteriorating facilities.
“There has also been a lot of what I consider to be disinformation, especially concerning the payment of school fees. At no time did the Old Boys imply that we are going to increase school fees. Our objective is to develop the college.
“I keep saying this, as President of the Old Boys, my own personal aspiration is very modest. To take back, not even to take the school forward, take back the school to where I met it as a student. Now, all the facilities are dilapidated,” he lamented.
Ibrahim-Imam attributed the condition of the facilities partly to the age of the institution, which is more than 100 years old, describing the association’s intervention as “a rescue mission.”
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He further assured teachers who decided to remain at the school under the new arrangement that their salaries and allowances would be doubled.
He said, “For those who will elect to remain as teachers in King’s College, we will double their salaries and allowances. The Old Boys have made this commitment in order to motivate the teachers to work harder.
“Those who choose to leave, they are staff of the Federal Ministry of Education. The minister has indicated his willingness to transfer those who don’t want to remain under the PPP arrangement.
“He has offered to transfer them to the Federal Government College, Ijanikin, or to Queen’s College. So, they have been given options.”
He said the Old Boys were driven by the desire to contribute to the development of their former school, noting that about 2,500 students were currently enrolled at the college.
“We, as Old Boys, are motivated by the highest principles of altruism. Our desire is to give back and nothing more,” he said.
However, the situation became more heated after the address, as protesting workers sang solidarity songs while the Old Boys attempted to render the school anthem.
The police subsequently intervened, with the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Fatai Tijani, leading personnel to the school and ensuring that the gate was opened despite resistance from the protesters.
During the confrontation, two protesting staff members were seen lying on the ground and gasping for breath. Water was poured on one of them, while at least one other protesting worker was taken away in a police vehicle.
Speaking outside the school, Tijani said the various parties had agreed that the Old Boys’ Association would hold its meeting inside the college on Wednesday.
He explained that the police intervention was aimed at preventing a breakdown of law and order and protecting lives and property.
“I told them you have a right to protest but where their right stops, another man’s rights begin,” he said.
Tijani said the Old Boys had informed the police that they had obtained a government concession to renovate the school and wanted to hold their meeting inside the premises, but the protesters had locked the gate.
He said, “I came here to appeal and pacify them to allow the old students to have their meeting inside the school, but they disagreed.
“All we are here to do is to ensure that there is no breakdown of peace and that lives and property are secured. That is what we have been trying to do.
“At the end of the day, we have had an agreement that tomorrow, they will choose their representatives to meet with the old students and have a dialogue with them inside the school.
“By the time we come, we will ensure they have their dialogue peacefully — both the old students and the protesters.”
Meanwhile, the National Coordinator of the Federal Workers Forum, Andrew Emelieze, who spoke on behalf of the protesting workers, said the demonstration would continue until the government reversed its decision on the concession.
“King’s College is not for concessioning. King’s College is not for sale. King’s College is not for privatisation. Unity Schools are not for sale, and we are here peacefully.
“Our leaders are in Abuja meeting the Minister of Education on this issue, and we were here peacefully until the Old Boys’ came, using the Nigeria Police, and forcefully entered.
“This is not the best way to go in a democracy. Protest is constitutional; it is legal. The Nigeria Police owe us a duty to protect us when we are protesting, but what we are seeing is the reverse,” Emelieze stated.
He argued that the government should take responsibility for funding and maintaining public schools instead of transferring their management to private interests.
Emelieze said, “Government has a responsibility and should meet it. Education should be a right. It should be prioritised, not privatised. If they want to use force to buy the schools, we are saying No. We are resisting it, and we shall continue this protest till they change their decision. This is just Day Two. Tomorrow we are going to be here.
“If the Old Boys are interested in building schools and want education to move forward, they can gather money, buy land and build their own school. They should leave Unity Schools for the Federal Government to sponsor. It is the duty of governments to sponsor education. They should not privatise it.
“They can do their meeting elsewhere. We are not ready to discuss issues that have to do with our concessioning. It’s ridiculously attempting to buy the teacher that taught you.”
Emelieze maintained that the workers had taken the same position in previous instances and would continue demanding the reversal of the concessioning arrangement.