King’s College concession: Committee begins review of contentious issues - The Guardian Nigeria News

The controversial concession of the 117-year-old King’s College, Lagos, enters a critical phase today as the seven-member committee constituted by the Federal Government begins its review of the disputed agreement.

The committee’s inaugural meeting, scheduled to be held in Abuja at 10:00 a.m., is expected to confront many unresolved issues, including the duration of the concession, government funding, staff welfare, school fees, operational control, the financial obligations of the King’s College Old Boys’ Association (KCOBA) and the future of the historic institution.

However, at the heart of the dispute is the concession agreement between the Federal Ministry of Education and King’s College Education Trust Limited, the special purpose vehicle established by KCOBA to manage the arrangement.

While the concession was initially presented publicly as a 35-year deal, documents obtained by The Guardian showed that the agreement signed on August 7 provides for an initial 50-year term, potentially running to 2076.

The discrepancy is expected to feature prominently at today’s meeting as stakeholders seek clarification on why the executed agreement provides for a substantially longer period than the duration previously communicated.

Beyond the tenure, the committee must also grapple with a more fundamental question: whether the concession should proceed at all.

The Innocent Bola-Audu-led faction of the Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria (ASCSN), backed by the Joint Workers Council (JWC) of unions at the Federal Ministry of Education headquarters, is calling for the complete reversal of the arrangement.

The faction maintains that the unity colleges are heritage institutions that should remain under direct government control.

That position could test the scope of the committee’s mandate, particularly whether it is limited to reviewing and possibly amending the terms of an existing concession or whether it can recommend that the agreement itself be reconsidered.

The panel emerged from a two-week truce reached between the Federal Government, the labour and KCOBA following weeks of escalating disagreement, protests and disruption of academic activities in the Federal Unity Colleges.

Besides, staff welfare is another major concern as workers are seeking guarantees on employment, salaries, pensions and other accrued rights during and after the transition.

Also, school fees are also expected to generate intense debate.

The panel is equally expected to scrutinise KCOBA’s financial obligations under the agreement, which claimed it had invested more than N2 billion in the school and pledged over N100 billion for the school’s development.

The committee will, therefore, need to establish investments that are contractually enforceable, the timelines for delivery and the consequences of failing to meet the agreed targets.

The agreement’s termination, dispute-resolution and government step-in provisions will also come under scrutiny, particularly given the proposed 50-year lifespan.