Alausa Must Go”: Education Ministry Workers Block Minister From Accessing Office

Workers of the Federal Ministry of Education on Wednesday barricaded the entrance to the ministry’s headquarters, preventing the Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, and the Acting Permanent Secretary, Folake Olatunji-David, from accessing their offices.

The aggrieved workers reportedly chanted “Alausa must go” as the minister’s motorcade arrived at the premises.

The protest is linked to the ongoing disagreement between workers’ unions and the Federal Government over the proposed 35-year concession of King’s College, Lagos, to the institution’s Old Boys’ Association.

The unions have opposed the arrangement, arguing that the management of federal unity schools should remain under government control. They have also previously called for the minister’s removal.

The latest development followed a confrontation at King’s College on Tuesday, where protesters clashed with security personnel and members of the Old Boys’ Association during a disagreement over access to the school.

The Old Boys’ Association has maintained that the arrangement is a Public-Private Partnership intended to rehabilitate and improve the school’s infrastructure, not a sale or privatisation of the institution.

Its president, Kashim Ibrahim-Imam, said the Federal Government would retain ownership of the school, while teachers who choose to remain under the new arrangement would reportedly receive improved salaries and allowances.

However, the protesting workers insist that King’s College and other unity schools should not be concessioned to private interests.

Speaking on behalf of the protesters, National Coordinator of the Federal Workers Forum, Andrew Emelieze, said the workers would sustain their action until the government reverses the concession plan.

He said the Federal Government should continue funding and maintaining public schools rather than transferring their management to private organisations.

The dispute has raised concerns over the operation of federal unity schools and the possible impact of the industrial action on students and the new academic session.