Nigeria: King’s College parents reject FG’s concession to Old Boys, plan mass protest

By Zuleihat Owuiye, Nigeria

Parents and stakeholders of King’s College, Lagos are mobilizing for a mass protest over the Federal Government’s decision to concede the 116-year-old school to the King’s College Old Boys’ Association, KCOBA.

The controversy has intensified weeks after KCOBA President, Alhaji Kashim Ibrahim-Imam, announced the concession and the launch of a N100 billion endowment fund to reposition the institution.

Speaking to Vanguard, Chairman of the Parent-Teacher Association, Mr. Peter Oluwaseye, said opposition to the move cuts across parents, senior civil servants, and the host community.

“Parents are not in support of the move. Senior civil servants are also saying no to it. The community is also not in support,” Oluwaseye said. “Old boys should not see the college as their property. They attended the school just like the current students are doing. King’s College is a public property.”

“The old students should give to the college willingly, not wanting to take it over. They won’t succeed. There is no private entity that can assemble the type of teachers we have in the college. We say no to concession, whatever guise it is being planned,” he added.

KCOBA says the concession is not a sale or privatization, but a new governance framework to partner with government to upgrade the school.

At the announcement last month, Ibrahim-Imam described it as “a defining moment” for King’s College and potentially for public education in Nigeria. He said the arrangement would allow old boys to help restore infrastructure, strengthen governance, and improve learning outcomes while ownership remains with government.

To fund the plan, the association launched a N100 billion endowment. Early donors include First Lady Oluremi Tinubu with N10 million, Ibrahim-Imam with N1 billion, and former BoT Chairman Chief Philip Asiodu and new Board Chairman Alhaji Femi Okunnu with N100 million each.

According to KCOBA, the funds will go toward infrastructure renewal, teacher development, digital technology, scholarships, research, innovation, and student welfare.

“The approval by the Federal Government of the concession of King’s College Lagos to the King’s College Old Boys’ Association represents one of the most consequential developments since the establishment of our great institution in 1909,” Ibrahim-Imam said. 

He noted the school has produced leaders in government, business, academia, and other fields, but has suffered “gradual deterioration of many of the facilities, systems, and structures” over the years. He added that the concession was the result of “years of careful planning, sustained advocacy, constructive engagement, and unwavering commitment by generations of Kingsmen.”

For the PTA and other stakeholders, however, the plan raises concerns about control and access. 

Oluwaseye argued that no private arrangement can replicate the current quality of teachers at King’s College, and insisted the school must remain fully public. 

The planned protest is aimed at pressuring the Federal Government to reverse the concession.

King’s College, founded in 1909, is one of Nigeria’s oldest and most prestigious secondary schools. Any major change to its management is likely to draw strong public interest, given its history and alumni network.

As of press time, the Federal Ministry of Education had not issued a fresh statement on the protest plans.