The leadership of Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria (ASCSN) has warned the federal government against any move to concession or privatise the nation’s 120 Federal Government Colleges, popularly known as Unity Colleges.
This is just as it vowed to seek legal redress if the proposal goes ahead.
Speaking at a press conference held on Wednesday, in Lagos, the national vice president of the union, Comrade Olubunmi Fajobi, said the proposed concession would make the schools inaccessible to children from low-income families and put the jobs of thousands of workers at risk.
Fajobi said the union remained firmly opposed to handing over the schools to private investors or old students’ associations, insisting that Unity Colleges are national assets established to promote national integration and should remain under government ownership.
He argued that organisations interested in operating secondary schools should establish their own institutions instead of taking over existing public schools.
“If the old boys’ associations want to own schools, they should establish their own schools and contribute to the development of existing Unity Colleges instead of taking over government-owned institutions,” he said.
According to him, previous privatisation of government assets has failed to deliver the expected benefits, adding that private operators would struggle to sustain the level of investment required to maintain the schools while keeping education affordable.
The union recalled that it had, on July 1, 2026, issued a statement opposing the proposed concession of the colleges under a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) arrangement.
ASCSN said it was compelled to address the media again following claims by the King’s College Old Boys Association (KCOBA) that the school had been concessioned to the association.
The union questioned the proposed arrangement, asking what provisions had been made for the welfare of students and employees should the schools eventually be handed over to private operators.
Fajobi also recalled that a similar attempt to privatise the Unity Colleges during the administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo in 2005 was successfully resisted through protests, industrial actions, public advocacy and court actions until the plan was abandoned.
He noted that the dispute was eventually resolved in 2010 when the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan restored the junior secondary school components of the colleges, thereby preserving the Unity School system.
The ASCSN maintained that the schools were established to foster national unity by bringing together students from different ethnic, religious and socio-economic backgrounds and should not be converted into profit-driven ventures.
The union warned that privatisation could result in massive job losses among teachers and other workers while making quality education unaffordable for millions of Nigerian families.
Beyond the issue of Unity Colleges, the union also urged the federal government to improve the welfare of public servants by creating more directorate-level positions across Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to address prolonged career stagnation. It also called for additional palliative measures to cushion the impact of the country’s economic challenges on workers.
Fajobi appealed to political leaders, civil society organisations, religious and traditional leaders, and other stakeholders to support efforts to preserve Unity Colleges as symbols of national integration.
He reiterated that while the union remained committed to dialogue and constructive engagement with the government, it would not hesitate to pursue legal action if the proposed concession was not halted.
“As a law-abiding and responsible trade union, we will continue to engage the government constructively. However, if all efforts fail, we will be compelled to explore other lawful options, including approaching the courts,” he said.
