Protests disrupt Nigerian schools over Kings College management handover

Protests and school shutdowns continued across Nigeria on Tuesday over the federal government's decision to hand over management of the historic Kings College, Lagos, to its Old Boys Association. Workers and parents blocked alumni from entering the school premises, leading to confrontations with police, while many of the country's 155 federal unity colleges remained closed despite a government directive to resume academic activities. The crisis centers on a public-private partnership arrangement approved by the Federal Executive Council, which would transfer management of Kings College to the Kings College Old Boys Association (KCOBA). The association's president, Kashim Ibrahim-Imam, stated the decision involved management, not ownership, of the institution. "The Federal Government is not selling Kings College to anybody," he said, addressing reporters outside the school gate after being prevented from entering. He added that the association's goal was to rehabilitate dilapidated facilities and that teachers who remained would have their salaries doubled.