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

The organisation said the two week suspension of the concession should be used to cancel the agreement entirely, 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.

Following protests by workers and parents, implementation was suspended and a seven member committee was constituted to review the agreement.

But CAPPA said the suspension did not address what it described as the fundamental issue of transferring operational control, institutional governance and decision making powers of a publicly owned national institution to a private association.

The organisation rejected the argument that the arrangement did not amount to privatisation because legal ownership of the school would remain with the government.

CAPPA’s Assistant Executive Director, Zikora Ibeh, said the deterioration of public schools should lead to increased 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. The condition of King’s College reflects inadequate public investment and weak administration,” Ibeh said.

Established in 1909, King’s College is one of Nigeria’s oldest secondary schools and part of the Federal Unity College system, which was established to bring students from different regions, ethnic groups, religions and social backgrounds together while expanding access to public education.

CAPPA said that despite deteriorating infrastructure and rising school related charges, King’s College and other Unity Schools remained comparatively accessible to working class and low income families, distinguishing them from many private schools.

The organisation said the Federal Government’s 2026 executive budget proposal allocated about N3.52 trillion to education, representing approximately 6.1 per cent of the proposed national budget.

It argued that the allocation remained inadequate given the condition of schools across the country, including dilapidated infrastructure, overcrowded classrooms, teacher shortages and weak sanitation systems, as well as the number of children without access to quality education.

CAPPA further argued that increased federally collected revenues and tax receipts should translate into greater investment in education and other essential public services.

According to the organisation, King’s College, as a federal institution and national public asset, should have its infrastructure and administrative challenges addressed through adequate budgetary allocations, transparent expenditure and accountable public management.

It warned that concession should not become a substitute for public funding or a means of transferring government responsibility for public education to private bodies.

CAPPA also linked the King’s College arrangement to what it described as a wider pattern of commercialisation of essential services and infrastructure, citing water systems in Lagos and the use of concession plans and public private partnerships.

Ibeh questioned the implications of extending such arrangements across public institutions and essential services.

“If King’s College is concessioned today, which Unity School will follow tomorrow? 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?” he said.

CAPPA, however, acknowledged that KCOBA could contribute significantly to the development of King’s College without assuming managerial control.

It said 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.

Such support, it said, should supplement public funding rather than replace it or confer governance rights over the school.

The organisation urged the Federal Government to cancel the signed MoU and commission an independent assessment of the school’s infrastructure, staffing and learning needs.

It said the findings should form the basis of a costed rehabilitation plan funded through the federal budget, with clear deadlines and publicly reported expenditure.

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

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

Beyond King’s College, CAPPA demanded a properly funded national renewal programme for all Unity Schools to ensure that government intervention is not determined by the financial capacity or political influence of individual alumni associations.

The organisation commended the Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria, Nigeria Union of Teachers and Trade Union Congress for opposing the concession and urged them, alongside the Nigeria Labour Congress, Parent Teacher Associations, students, alumni and members of the public, to continue pushing for its cancellation.

CAPPA maintained that public education is a public good and a fundamental responsibility of government that must be funded, protected and administered in the interest of Nigerians.