Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA) has called on the Federal Government to fully cancel the concession of King’s College, Lagos, to the King’s College Old Boys’ Association (KCOBA). The organisation argues that the arrangement effectively transfers management and operational control of a public institution to a private body, despite the government retaining legal ownership.
CAPPA specifically urged authorities to use the current two-week suspension of the agreement to terminate the signed Memorandum of Understanding rather than amend and implement it.
The Federal Government approved the concession in July 2026. KCOBA subsequently announced plans for a ₦100 billion endowment fund aimed at infrastructure renewal, teacher development, digital technology, scholarships, and student welfare. The move triggered protests by workers, parents, and other stakeholders. Implementation was later suspended, and a seven-member committee was established to review the agreement.
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CAPPA’s Core Objections
CAPPA maintains that the temporary suspension does not resolve what it sees as the fundamental issue: transferring day-to-day operational control and governance of a publicly owned national institution to a private association.
The group rejected the government’s position that the arrangement does not constitute privatisation because ownership of King’s College would remain with the state. According to CAPPA, public ownership becomes largely symbolic once operational control, institutional governance, and key decision-making powers are handed over.
CAPPA’s Assistant Executive Director, Zikora Ibeh, stated that the deteriorating condition of public schools should prompt greater government investment rather than concessions. “The condition of King’s College reflects inadequate public investment and weak administration,” Ibeh said. She argued that government should not neglect public schools until their infrastructure declines and then present concession as the only solution.
Broader Context on Education Funding
CAPPA highlighted the Federal Government’s 2026 executive budget proposal, which allocated approximately ₦3.52 trillion to education — about 6.1 per cent of the proposed national budget. The organisation described this level of funding as inadequate given widespread challenges such as dilapidated school buildings, overcrowded classrooms, teacher shortages, and poor sanitation facilities across the public education system.
King’s College, founded in 1909, is one of Nigeria’s oldest and most prestigious secondary schools and forms part of the Federal Unity College system. These schools were established to promote national unity by bringing together students from diverse regional, ethnic, religious, and social backgrounds while providing relatively accessible quality education.
CAPPA’s Recommendations
The organisation called for the following steps:
• Immediate cancellation of the signed Memorandum of Understanding.
• An independent assessment of King’s College’s infrastructure, staffing, and learning needs.
• Development of a costed rehabilitation plan funded through the federal budget, with clear timelines and publicly reported expenditure.
• Establishment of a public oversight mechanism involving representatives from the Ministry of Education, teachers, workers, parents, students, alumni, and independent education experts.
• Full public disclosure of rehabilitation contracts, budget allocations, and project reports, alongside independent audits.
CAPPA acknowledged that KCOBA could still contribute positively — for example by supporting renovations, equipping facilities, providing scholarships, or contributing to an independently managed endowment — without taking over management or governance. It urged the association to use its influence to push for stronger public funding and accountability instead.
The group also linked the King’s College case to wider concerns about the commercialisation of essential public services and called for a properly funded national programme to renew all Unity Schools, rather than approaches that depend on the resources of individual alumni associations.
Current Status
The Federal Government has stated that the arrangement is a public-private partnership under which KCOBA would finance, rehabilitate, operate, and maintain the school while the government retains legal title and regulatory oversight. Officials have emphasised that the school is not being sold.
Opposition from parents, teachers’ unions, and civil society groups has remained strong, citing concerns over accessibility, fees, jobs, and the principle of public management of national educational assets.
CAPPA concluded that public education remains a core government responsibility that should be funded, protected, and administered in the public interest.
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