₦airaland Forum

Alumni Mobilize ₦100bn as Federal Government Approves Strategic Concession of King’s College, Lagos

By Samuel Anyanwu -
July 7, 2026

The Federal Government has officially approved a groundbreaking concession agreement granting management rights of King’s College, Lagos, to the King’s College Old Boys’ Association (KCOBA). Announcing the development at a press conference at the Metropolitan Club in Victoria Island, KCOBA President, Alhaji Kashim Ibrahim-Imam, described the transfer as a pivotal moment in the institution’s 116-year history. He emphasized that the agreement does not constitute a sale or privatization, but rather an innovative public-private governance framework designed to rehabilitate, modernize, and sustain the prestigious institution through a collaborative partnership with the state.

Addressing immediate public concerns regarding accessibility, the alumni association stressed that the institutional transition will not alter the secondary school’s founding mission or diversity. The college will strictly maintain its traditional federal character, ensuring admissions remain open to students from all socio-economic, ethnic, and religious backgrounds across Nigeria. To guarantee that the cost of this institutional overhaul does not translate into a financial burden for parents, the association has launched a historic ₦100 billion collegium fund, designed to insulate regular families from increased educational fees while funding extensive structural upgrades.

The ambitious modernization blueprint is anchored on a comprehensive seven-pillar strategy targeting infrastructure renewal, digital transformation, and governance reforms. KCOBA plans to fully rehabilitate the campus architecture, including laboratories, hostels, libraries, and sports complexes, while introducing advanced educational technologies such as artificial intelligence-assisted learning, robotics hubs, coding programs, and campus-wide broadband connectivity. Structurally, the newly established King’s College Education Trust will oversee long-term administrative operations, led by elder statesman Alhaji Femi Okunnu, SAN, as President of the college, and prominent businessman Sunny Kuku as Vice President.

Financial backing for the massive undertaking has already seen substantial commitments from high-profile stakeholders. The ₦100 billion fund will be chaired by the Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi II, with economist and businessman Atedo Peterside serving as Vice Chairman, alongside key participation from former Senate President Dr. Bukola Saraki. Demonstrating immediate financial momentum, Ibrahim-Imam announced a personal donation of ₦1 billion, complemented by ₦100 million contributions each from Alhaji Okunnu and Chief Philip Asiodu. The association has called upon corporate organizations, global development partners, and the school’s international alumni network to contribute resources, mentorship, and expertise toward securing the institution’s future legacy.

Gloria Dawodu
CI&PRO
7th July, 2026

Workers’ union rejects King’s College, other unity schools’ concession

July 10, 2026

The Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria has rejected the reported concession of King’s College, Lagos, to its Old Boys’ Association, warning that handing over the institution and other Federal Government Colleges to private entities would make them unaffordable for millions of Nigerian students and threaten the jobs of workers.

The union also urged the Federal Government to halt any plan to concession or privatise the 120 unity schools, insisting that the colleges should remain national assets established to promote unity and provide quality education for children from all parts of the country.

The National Vice-President of the ASCSN, Dr Olubunmi Fajobi, stated this during a press conference held at King’s College, Lagos, on Wednesday.

The union’s reaction comes days after the King’s College Old Boys’ Association announced that the Federal Government had approved the concession of the 116-year-old institution to the alumni body under a new governance arrangement.

But Fajobi said the reported concession raised fundamental questions about the future of students and employees of the school.

Fajobi said, “We are informing Nigerians of current efforts to cede the 120 Federal Government Colleges to private individuals and, through that process, make the schools inaccessible to millions of Nigerian students because of the exorbitant fees that will be charged.”

He added, “Besides, once the schools are privatised, millions of employees, namely education officers teaching in the schools and other workers, will be thrown into the oversaturated labour market, the negative social consequences of which we cannot now predict.”

Fajobi recalled that the union had, on July 1, issued a statement urging the Federal Government not to hand over unity schools to private entrepreneurs, including alumni associations.

He said KCOBA’s subsequent announcement that King’s College had been concessioned to it necessitated the fresh briefing.

“If the Old Boys’ Association claims that the school has been ceded to them, what is the template they have designed to deal with the students and the employees of the college?

“This is why we maintain our position that the school should not be handed over to private entities,” he said.

The labour leader alleged that the latest move mirrored an attempt made in 2005 during the administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo to transfer Federal Government Colleges to private operators under a Public-Private Partnership arrangement.

According to him, the union mobilised workers, students, parents, civil society organisations, religious leaders and host communities to resist the plan.

“We embarked on dialogues, strikes, including one that lasted seven weeks, and even litigations to preserve the schools for Nigerian children and prevent millions of employees from losing their jobs,” he said.

Fajobi noted that normalcy only returned to the unity school system in 2010 after former President Goodluck Jonathan ordered the restoration of the junior secondary school components that had earlier been removed from the colleges.

“It is unfortunate that 16 years after the unity school system returned to normalcy, efforts have been renewed to destabilise them.

“Millions of Nigerian children ought not to be subjected to this periodic trauma over attempts to deny them quality secondary education by adults bent on turning the unity colleges into their private estates,” he added.

He argued that the unity schools were established by Nigeria’s first Prime Minister, Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, to foster national integration by bringing together children from different ethnic, religious and social backgrounds.

“That the schools have continued to wax stronger today and have grown to 120, 60 years after they were established, is eloquent testimony to Sir Balewa’s ingenuity and vision.

“The least the present generation of political leaders can do is sustain the institutions as a legacy for national integration rather than sell them to private entrepreneurs so they become accessible only to children of the privileged,” he said.

The union maintained that apart from likely increases in school fees, concessioning the schools could also result in widespread job losses among teachers and other employees.

KCOBA had, on Monday, announced that the Federal Government approved the concession of King’s College, describing the decision as the beginning of a “King’s College Renaissance.”

Its President, Kashim Ibrahim-Imam, however, pointed out that the arrangement was neither a sale nor privatisation of the institution but a new governance framework through which the association would partner with the Federal Government to restore and modernise the college.

“It is not the sale of King’s College. It is not the privatisation of King’s College. It is not the abandonment of King’s College by the Federal Government.

“Rather, it is the establishment of a new governance framework through which KCOBA will partner with the government to restore, strengthen, modernise and sustain one of Nigeria’s greatest educational institutions,” Ibrahim-Imam had said.

He assured Nigerians that the school’s federal character would remain intact and that admissions would continue to reflect national diversity.

The KCOBA president also announced a N100bn Collegium Fund to finance infrastructure renewal, digital transformation, teacher development, scholarships and other interventions, stressing that the association had no intention of transferring the financial burden of the project to parents.

“We believe that the children of ordinary Nigerians deserve extraordinary educational opportunities,” he said.

King’s College: Why we disagree with concessioning –parents community

10 July 2026

Federal Government’s concessioning of King’s College Lagos has continued to attract rejection from the school’s unit of the Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria (ASCSN).

The parents community of the foremost unity college also disagreed with the arrangement.

The Federal Government had approved concessioning of the college to its old boys association.

Chairman of King’s College Lagos Unit of ASCSN, Mr Enang Samuel, all the staff of the college rejected the concession.

He said that the Federal Government should retain ownership of the college and continue to operate it.

The chairman stressed that concessioning the 116-year-old school would serve private interests rather than public good.

He urged the government not to commercialise the college, saying that King’s College Lagos workers would resist the concession through lawful means.

“All members of staff of King’s College reject this concession and are prepared for any legitimate action to defend government ownership of the college and protect public interest,” he said.

Mr Olatunji Ojulari, chairman of King’s College Lagos Parents Community, expressed displeasure at the development.

Ojulari said the college remained a national monument.

“We respectfully but totally disagree with the concession approval.

“Our forefathers never donated this land for commercial purposes but to guarantee affordable quality education for generations of Nigerians.”

He said that implementing the concession would undermine the school’s vision by placing quality education beyond the reach of many families.

“Ojulari said that King’s College Lagos had been delivering excellent education at an affordable cost.

“Concession of the school will impose financial burdens on countless parents,” he said.

According to him, those wishing to establish private schools should invest their own resources and land.

“King’s College belongs to Nigerians and should never become a commercial enterprise.”

A teacher, who pleaded anonymity, said she was uncomfortable with the arrangement noting that the true intentions were not clear to many stakeholders.

“I have reservations because nobody truly knows the intentions behind this development.”

She noted that King’s College Lagos had benefitted from a longstanding partnership with the King’s College Old Boys Association.

According to the teacher, scholarship awards and other interventions by the association had promoted teaching and learning in the college.

“I believe that the partnership can continue without altering the college’s status as a government-owned institution,” she said.

A King’s College Lagos student, who also pleaded anonymity, said the concession had generated mixed feelings among students.

He expressed hope that the Federal Government and the old boys association would work together to preserve the school’s rich heritage and improve infrastructure in the college.

“We want a situation in which the government and the old boys will work together to protect our school’s legacy, improve learning facilities and put students’ welfare and academic excellence first,” he said.

NkataEgoEze:
Typical Nigerian, always comparing

MiddleDimension:
Who and who passed-out from the bolded?

While people, including yourself, know the other schools you mentioned, no one knows the one in bold.

jojothaiv:
KC no bi beans o, see wetin alumni pool together..

Kobicove:
They have not actually raised the money yet

Gotocourt:
Government money from looted treasury Bandits.

Exousiang01:
Omo....
Just few days ago I was having a discussion with my aunti and we were talking about how CMS grammar school old boys have taken the school to another level.
We were saying the KINGS old boys didn't try.
But apparently they have taken time to build and with this they may overtake CMS in a few years.
Leaving Igbobi and Saint Gregorys way behind.
Good development.....

I am a proud Grabrielite.
And I believe MSG is a greater school than any of these schools
Mount Saint Gabriels Makurdi is the definition of a good school.

Long live MSG
Long live the children of Rev Father Angus Fraser.
The best principal any school in the world would ever dream to have

Exousiang01:
Omo....
While many thought the Kings old boys were messing up, it's because they were not in charge yet

Apparently they have taken time to build and with this they may overtake CMS in a few years.
Leaving Igbobi and Saint Gregorys way behind.
Good development.....

I am a proud Grabrielite.
And I believe MSG is a greater school than any of these schools
Mount Saint Gabriels Makurdi is the definition of a good school.

Long live MSG
Long live the children of Rev Father Angus Fraser.
The best principal any school in the world would ever dream to have

NaijaNaWaa:
I'm in total support of concessioning

unitysheart:
I'm actually not in support. I the end, children of common men no go fit attend that school. Na the wealthy go get the school.

NaijaNaWaa:
You are entitled to your opinion but understand that it was this your mindset that destroyed public schools in Nigeria. If you look carefully, you'll observe that no wealthy Nigerian sends his children to public schools anymore.

naptu2:
Alumni of Kings College, Lagos include:

Vice President Alex Ekwueme

Chief Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu

Chief Remi Fani-Kayode

Alhaji Femi Okunnu

Chief Philip Asiodu

Mr Adebayo Ogunlesi

Mr Atedo Peterside

Emir Muhammad Sanusi II

Mr Hakeem Bello-Osagie

Olorogun Dr Sunny Kuku

Chief Simeon Adebo

Dr Lateef Adegbite

Dr Bukola Saraki

Alhaji Kashim Ibrahim-Imam

Cobhams Asuquo

"The Oracle" Professor Sam Akpabot

Etc.

naptu2:
Background

I have been talking to senior members of the Kings College Old Boys Association for months and this is basically what's happening.


The Federal Military Government announced the take over of missionary schools in the 1970s. They believed that it was a security risk to put the education of Nigerian children in the hands of foreign missionaries. They handed the schools over to state and local governments.

However, states and local governments have a lot of responsibilities and Nigeria developed serious economic problems in the 1980s and 1990s. The state and local governments did not properly fund the schools and they became run down and were in a bad shape. There was a massive campaign that the schools should be return to their original owners who were able to run them properly.

One of the first actions of the Bola Tinubu administration in Lagos in 1999 was to announce that the schools would be handed back to their original owners.

The return of the first batch of schools was completed in 2001.

The churches, other private owners and former students pumped a lot of money into the schools. Schools that looked like war zones when they were run by the Lagos State Government (no windows, no electricity, etc) were now looking like schools in developed countries.

This caused a bad feeling among Kings College Old Boys. Kings College was founded by the Colonial Government in 1909 and it has been run by the Federal Government of Nigeria since 1958. Some of the most famous people in Nigeria attended the school and it was seen as a model government school. However, it has not been well funded in recent decades. Some schools that Kings College was far ahead of in the 1980s were now soaring far ahead of KC. These schools looked advanced, while KC now looked like the war zone.

These Kings College Old Boys have been campaigning that the government should hand the school over to them so that they can transform it just like the missionary schools have been transformed. They have been touring old boys associations of the returned schools to learn how they transformed the schools, so that the can do the same at KC.

However, there is a problem. Some teachers complained in 1999 when the Lagos State Government announced that it would hand schools back to the missionaries. This was because they were afraid that they would get sacked.

The Lagos State Government and the churches had to assure the teachers that they have a choice to remain in the returned schools or to move to other Lagos State Government owned schools.

Similarly, Dr Oby Ezekwesili tried to concession Unity (Federal Government owned) schools when she was minister of education, but the Nigerian Union of Teachers (NUT) launched a massive propaganda campaign against her because they were afraid that their members would be sacked.

The NUT scared parents by telling them that they would be made to pay high school fees that they could not afford and so the parents also started protesting and President Obasanjo cancelled the programme.

U09ce:
The concession in itself is not a problem. But everyone knows the alumni will invest for at least some profit. Thus, children of the poor man would have no place in such colleges

Ojuntana:
I don't understand this story
Kings college is a federal school not state owned
Why will KCOBA have ill feelings because state govt privatize their schools when it's not as if KC was left out or something?
From what I know the move to take over the school by KCOBA has been on before 1999