Tension at King’s College as staff resist Old Boys’ entry

There was tension at King’s College, Lagos, on Tuesday as protesting staff union members resisted the opening of the school gates by security personnel to allow members of the Old Boys’ Association into the school premises.

The Old Boys’ Association had scheduled a press conference within the school compound but met stiff resistance from the protesting staff. Unable to gain entry, the association’s President, Kashim Ibrahim-Imam, alongside other old students, addressed journalists in front of the main gate.

Ibrahim-Imam maintained that the Federal Government had handed over the management of King’s College to the Old Boys’ Association under a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) arrangement, with a mandate to fix the institution. He stressed that the arrangement did not amount to the sale or privatisation of the college, saying the association was interested in improving its infrastructure.

According to him, “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.”

Ibrahim-Imam also dismissed concerns that the PPP arrangement would lead to an increase in school fees, insisting that the primary objective of the Old Boys was to restore the college’s deteriorating infrastructure.

“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 said.

He said the poor state of the facilities was understandable given that the college was more than 100 years old, describing the association’s intervention as “a rescue mission.”

Ibrahim-Imam further assured teachers that those who decided to remain at the college under the PPP arrangement would have their salaries and allowances 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.”

The Old Boys’ president said the association was motivated by the desire to give back to the institution, 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.

The address was followed by a confrontation over sound as protesting staff members rendered solidarity songs in an apparent attempt to drown out the school anthem being performed by the Old Boys.

The situation subsequently escalated, prompting police personnel led by the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Fatai Tijani, to take charge and ensure that the school gate was opened despite resistance from the protesting workers.

During the ensuing melee over the opening of the gates, two protesting staff members were seen lying on the ground gasping for breath, with water being poured on one of them. At least one other protesting staff member was seen being taken away in a police van.

Speaking in front of the King’s College gate, CP Tijani said an agreement had been reached among the parties for the Old Boys’ Association to hold its meeting inside the school premises 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,” Tijani said.

The commissioner explained that the Old Boys had informed the police that they had obtained the government’s concession to renovate the school and wanted to hold their meeting inside the premises, but the protesters had locked the school 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.”

However, speaking on behalf of the protesting workers, the National Coordinator of the Federal Workers Forum, Andrew Emelieze, said the workers would continue their protest until the Federal Government reversed its decision to concession the college.

Emelieze said, “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.”

He said the workers wanted the government to fulfil its responsibility of funding education and maintaining public schools.

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’ objection was not a new position, insisting that they would not back down from their demand for the reversal of the concession of King’s College.