By Victor Ahiuma-Young
ABUJA — The Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria (ASCSN) has raised the alarm over what it described as renewed moves to privatise Federal Government Colleges, popularly known as Unity Schools, warning that such a policy would make quality secondary education inaccessible to millions of Nigerian children and undermine one of Nigeria’s enduring symbols of national integration.
The union’s reaction followed reports that the Federal Government had approved the concessioning of King’s College, Lagos, to its Old Boys’ Association under a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) arrangement.
In a statement issued in Abuja and jointly signed by its National President, Shehu Mohammed, and Secretary-General, Joshua Apebo, the ASCSN warned that concessioning the college could set a dangerous precedent that might eventually lead to the transfer of the remaining 119 Unity Schools to private interests and political elites.
The union urged Nigerians to reject any attempt to privatise the schools, insisting that they remain a national asset that should be preserved for future generations.
