King’s College Concession: CAPPA Tells FG To Fund Public Services, Not Privatise Them
When government struggles to fund a public institution, the answer should not automatically be to hand over its management to a private body.
For Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA), the controversy over the concession of King’s College, Lagos, is a test of how far government is willing to retreat from its responsibility to provide basic public services.
CAPPA has rejected the Federal Government’s approved concession of the 117-year-old school to the King’s College Old Boys’ Association (KCOBA), urging the government to cancel the arrangement during the two-week suspension announced after protests by workers and parents.
The Federal Government approved the concession in July, while KCOBA announced a N100 billion endowment fund for infrastructure, teacher development, digital technology, scholarships and students’ welfare.
A seven-member committee was subsequently set up to review the agreement.
But CAPPA argues that retaining legal ownership of the school does not remove the fundamental concern: operational control and governance would still shift to a private association.
“Government cannot neglect public schools until their infrastructure and learning environments deteriorate, only to present concession as the sole means of rescuing them,” CAPPA’s Assistant Executive Director, Zikora Ibeh, said.
The organisation noted that King’s College, established in 1909, is part of Nigeria’s Federal Unity College system, created to bring children from different regions and backgrounds together while widening access to quality public education.
CAPPA said the deteriorating condition of the school should instead prompt increased public investment.
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, arguing that this remains inadequate given the scale of challenges facing public education.
The organisation also warned against a wider pattern of governments underfunding essential services before turning to private management as a solution.
“Nigerians already provide their own water, electricity, security, healthcare and education while continuing to pay taxes,” Ibeh said. “If King’s College is concessioned today, which Unity School will follow tomorrow?”
CAPPA, however, said KCOBA can still play a significant role in rebuilding the school without taking control of its management.
It proposed that the alumni association support infrastructure, laboratories, libraries, scholarships and teacher development through an independently administered fund.
It called on the Federal Government to cancel the MoU, conduct an independent assessment of King’s College’s infrastructure, staffing and learning needs, and fund a costed rehabilitation plan through the federal budget.
It further demanded public disclosure of rehabilitation contracts, allocations and project reports, backed by independent audits and an oversight mechanism involving government, teachers, workers, parents, students, alumni and education experts.
Beyond King’s College, CAPPA wants a properly funded national renewal programme for all Unity Schools, arguing that the future of public education should not depend on the financial strength or influence of individual alumni associations.
The organisation commended labour groups and others opposing the concession, and urged them to maintain pressure until the arrangement is cancelled.
For CAPPA, the issue goes beyond one school.
It is about whether essential public services remain a government responsibility, or gradually become services that citizens must pay private actors to provide.
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