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The Federal Government and organised labour have agreed on a two-week review of King’s College, Lagos concession following tension surrounding the proposed Public-Private Partnership.
The development came after the Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria alongside its parent body, the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria, held an emergency high-level meeting with the Federal Ministry of Education in Abuja.
The meeting was chaired by the Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, and attended by the Minister of State for Education, Prof Suwaiba Said Ahmad, and the Acting Permanent Secretary, Dr Folake Olatunji David.
Following the meeting, ASCSN announced the immediate suspension of its industrial action over concerns surrounding the proposed concession model for King’s College and directed workers in Federal Unity Colleges nationwide to resume their normal duties.
A major outcome of the meeting was the establishment of a seven-member Joint Review Committee comprising representatives of labour and other stakeholders.
The committee has been given a maximum of two weeks to examine the concession document presented by the Ministry and recommend amendments to address concerns raised by stakeholders.
The Federal Government also gave assurances on the protection of workers’ interests during the process. According to ASCSN, the Minister of Education gave an ironclad assurance that no staff member of King’s College would be victimised through retrenchment, posting or demotion in the course of the exercise.
Other agreements reached include the redeployment of policemen from the premises of King’s College and the suspension of implementation of the takeover arrangement with the King’s College Old Boys Association.
