‘It’s barbaric’ — parents, students reject FG’s proposed concession of King’s College, threaten lawsuit

Parents and students of King’s College, Lagos, have rejected the federal government’s proposed concession of the school to the King’s College Old Boys Association (KCOBA).

The aggrieved parents threatened to take legal action and prevent the resumption of the next academic session, scheduled for September 13.

On Thursday, hundreds of parents and students of the college staged a peaceful protest along major highways on Lagos Island to oppose the proposed concession.

The protesters began the demonstration at the school gate and marched through major roads linking the Tinubu-Shettima presidential campaign office in Marina to Tafawa Balewa Square and the National Museum.

They carried placards with inscriptions such as “King’s College is not for sale. Beware!!!” and “Federal Government, we say no to concession.”

Speaking during the protest, Peter Oluwaleye, chairman of the college’s Parents Teachers Association (PTA), said the parents had repeatedly communicated their opposition to the proposed concession to the ministry of education through various letters and to the presidency but had received no response.

Oluwaleye accused members of KCOBA of going around claiming ownership of the college, describing the claim as unacceptable.

“The Old Boys Association keep going around, telling the whole world that they now own King’s College, Lagos. But it is not true. It is barbaric and satanic for old students to lay claim to the school that produced them,” he said.

According to him, the association should focus on supporting the institution rather than seeking to take over its management.

“We expected them to give back to the school voluntarily and generously. But they are saying they want to take over the school,” he said.

Oluwaleye also questioned the capacity of the old boys’ association to manage an institution of the size and stature of King’s College, particularly under the proposed 35-year concession arrangement.

“We see these old boys’ association members as businessmen that cannot run an educational institution of this magnitude,” he said.

“They are planning to run the school for an initial 35 years. But we, the parents, are saying no.

“We have resolved that after this protest we are going to court. We will tell the federal government that it is its responsibility to educate the citizens.

“We will ensure that there is no resumption in the school until we hear directly from the Ministry of Education. That is our resolution.”

VIDEO: ‘It’s satanic, barbaric’ — parents, students protest FG’s plan to concession Kings College, Lagos pic.twitter.com/tqUwp6pJEk

— TheCable (@thecableng) August 27, 2026

The protest comes amid growing opposition from the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) to the proposed concession of federal unity colleges across the country.

In July, Kashim Ibrahim-Imam, president of KCOBA, announced that the federal government had conceded the school to the association, describing it as the dawn of a new era and the commencement of what he called the “King’s College Renaissance”.

The old boys’ association reportedly launched a N100 billion endowment fund to reposition the 116-year-old institution.

According to Ibrahim-Imam, the concession is intended to finance infrastructure renewal, teacher development, digital technology, scholarships, innovation, research and students’ welfare.(TheCable)