Academic activities have resumed across Nigeria’s Federal Unity Colleges as Unity Colleges resume for the 2026/2027 academic session after a strike disrupted the start of the school year. The industrial action followed opposition from workers and parent groups to the Federal Government’s proposed concession of King’s College, Lagos, to the school’s Old Boys Association.
The colleges were originally expected to reopen on September 13, but the planned resumption did not go ahead after the Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria (ASCSN) directed workers in the schools to stay away from work. The dispute centred on the proposed arrangement for King’s College and concerns about its possible implications for the wider Federal Unity College system.
Boarding students began returning to their schools on Sunday, September 27, while day students resumed on Monday, September 28, allowing academic activities to restart after roughly two weeks of disruption.
Unity Colleges resume after ASCSN suspends strike
The dispute intensified in September when ASCSN instructed its members in Federal Unity Colleges not to participate in the scheduled resumption. The union objected to the proposed concession of King’s College to the King’s College Old Boys Association (KCOBA), while parent groups also expressed opposition to the arrangement.
The disagreement created uncertainty for families preparing for the new academic year because government officials and labour representatives issued different positions on when the schools should reopen. At the height of the dispute, ASCSN directed workers to maintain the industrial action until the issues surrounding the concession were addressed.
The Federal Government later suspended implementation of the King’s College concession while a seven-member committee reviews the agreement. ASCSN subsequently suspended its industrial action to allow the committee to examine the concession document and make recommendations.
The union’s decision cleared the way for Unity Colleges resume activities nationwide. Reports said the committee includes two representatives of ASCSN, giving the union a role in the review process.
King’s College concession remains under review
Although students have returned to school, the disagreement over King’s College has not been completely resolved. The suspension of the strike allows the review process to continue, while the Federal Government and labour representatives await the committee’s findings.
The proposed concession has attracted attention because of the status and history of King’s College, Lagos, which is more than a century old. The Federal Government has rejected claims that it intends to sell the institution and has maintained that legal ownership of the school will remain with the government.
Education Minister Tunji Alausa previously explained that, under the proposed arrangement, the King’s College Old Boys Association would take responsibility for financing, rehabilitation, modernisation, operation and maintenance of the institution, while the government would retain legal ownership and regulatory powers.
The concession has nevertheless remained a major point of disagreement between the government, labour and other stakeholders. ASCSN and parent representatives have raised concerns about the arrangement, while government officials have presented it as an effort to improve the institution without transferring legal ownership of the school.
For students and their families, the immediate effect of the latest development is the restoration of classroom activities after the delayed start to the academic year. Unity Colleges resume classes as schools work to continue the 2026/2027 session and account for the time lost during the industrial action.
The return to school also means parents can proceed with the academic arrangements they had made for the new session, although attention remains on the committee reviewing the King’s College concession agreement.
ASCSN has previously indicated that the suspension of its strike is connected to the review process rather than a permanent abandonment of the issues that led to the industrial action. The outcome of the committee’s review could therefore provide the next major development in the dispute.
For now, classrooms across the Federal Unity Colleges have reopened, with students and staff returning to academic activities after the disruption. The 2026/2027 session is now underway, while stakeholders await further developments on the King’s College concession and the recommendations that may emerge from the committee’s review.
