CAPPA Demands Cancellation Of King’s College Concession, Tells FG To Invest In Public Education

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CAPPA Assistant Executive Director, Zikora Ibeh


Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA) has urged the Federal Government to cancel its concession of King’s College, Lagos, to the King’s College Old Boys’ Association (KCOBA), arguing that the arrangement amounts to a transfer of management and governance of a public institution to a private body.

CAPPA made the demand following the Federal Government’s decision to suspend implementation of the concession for two weeks and constitute a seven-member committee to review the agreement amid protests by workers and parents.

The organisation said the suspension should be used to cancel the arrangement completely, rather than amend the existing Memorandum of Understanding and proceed with its implementation.

The Federal Government approved the concession in July, while KCOBA announced a N100 billion endowment fund to support infrastructure renewal, teacher development, digital technology, scholarships and students’ welfare.

However, CAPPA argued that retaining legal ownership of the school does not, by itself, prevent public ownership from being undermined when operational control, institutional governance and decision-making are transferred to a private association.

CAPPA’s Assistant Executive Director, Zikora Ibeh, said the deteriorating condition of public schools should prompt greater government investment rather than concession of their management.

“Government cannot neglect public schools until their infrastructure and learning environments deteriorate, only to present concession as the sole means of rescuing them.”

CAPPA said King’s College, established in 1909, remains an important part of Nigeria’s Federal Unity College system, which was designed to bring students from different regions, ethnic groups, religions and social backgrounds together while providing access to quality public education.

The organisation argued that the challenges confronting King’s College should be addressed through adequate budgetary provision, transparent expenditure and accountable public management.

It cited the Federal Government’s 2026 executive budget proposal of about N3.52 trillion for education, representing approximately 6.1 per cent of the proposed national budget, but argued that the allocation remained inadequate given the condition of schools nationwide.

CAPPA also linked the King’s College arrangement to what it described as a broader trend towards the commercialisation of essential public services, including water, healthcare and education.

“If King’s College is concessioned today, which Unity School will follow tomorrow?” Ibeh asked. “If schools, water systems, hospitals and other essential services are steadily transferred to private managers, what precisely will remain of the government’s social responsibility?”

The organisation, however, acknowledged that KCOBA could play an important role in improving the school without taking over its management.

It proposed that the old boys’ association could renovate classrooms and hostels, equip laboratories and libraries, provide scholarships, support teachers and contribute to an independently administered endowment fund.

CAPPA said such interventions should complement, rather than replace, government funding and should not confer governance rights over the school.

It called on the Federal Government to cancel the signed MoU, conduct an independent assessment of King’s College’s infrastructure, staffing and learning needs, and develop a costed rehabilitation programme funded through the federal budget.

The organisation also proposed a public oversight mechanism involving the Ministry of Education, teachers, workers, parents, students, alumni and independent education experts.

It further called for the publication of rehabilitation contracts, allocations and project reports, with independent audits of expenditure and progress.

Beyond King’s College, CAPPA demanded a properly funded national renewal programme for all Unity Schools, warning against a situation where the condition of public schools determines the extent of support they receive from wealthy or influential alumni associations.

The organisation commended labour groups and education stakeholders opposing the concession and urged the Nigeria Labour Congress, Nigeria Union of Teachers, Trade Union Congress, parent-teacher associations, students, alumni and members of the public to continue pressing for the cancellation of the arrangement.

CAPPA maintained that public education is a public good and a core responsibility of government that should be adequately funded, protected and administered in the interest of all Nigerians.

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