The Committee for the Defence of Human Rights (CDHR) has condemned the Federal Government’s decision to concession King’s College, Lagos, to the King’s College Old Boys’ Association (KCOBA), demanding the immediate suspension and reversal of the arrangement.

In a statement issued on Tuesday and signed by its National President, Comrade ‘Yinka Folarin, and General Secretary, Comrade Idris Afees, the organisation described the concession as a dangerous policy shift with serious implications for public education and the Federal Unity Schools in Nigeria.

CDHR said its concern was heightened by a September 4, 2026 correspondence from the Office of the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Education, which stated that King’s College had been concessioned to KCOBA and that the ministry was proceeding with the immediate handover of the institution.

According to the organisation, the correspondence also stated that Federal Government funding for the college would cease six months after the transition.

CDHR questioned the basis and terms of the concession, asking who authorised the arrangement and what exactly had been conceded, whether the management, assets, operational control or the institution itself.

It also demanded clarification on the duration of the concession, its financial terms, the obligations KCOBA would assume, safeguards against increased fees or exclusion of students, the fate of teachers and other workers, and who would ultimately remain accountable to Nigerians.

The organisation said the Federal Government should explain why it was withdrawing its financial responsibility from a public institution instead of addressing the underfunding that had weakened public education.

“The Nigerian people deserve full disclosure, not a fait accompli delivered through a letter announcing that the handover has already been concluded,” CDHR said.

While acknowledging the contributions of old students and alumni associations to educational development, the group said supporting a public school was different from taking over its management under a concession arrangement.

According to CDHR, alumni associations could provide classrooms, laboratories, libraries, hostels, sporting facilities, scholarships and equipment without taking over the management of public institutions.

It described such support as philanthropy but said transferring the management of a historic public institution to an association under a concession agreement was a different matter.

The organisation argued that King’s College was more than a school building, describing it as part of Nigeria’s educational heritage and national history.

It said the Federal Unity Schools were established to promote national integration, equal opportunity, social cohesion and a shared Nigerian identity by bringing children from different parts of the country together.

CDHR expressed concern that the concession of King’s College could create a precedent for other Federal Unity Schools.

“If a public institution of this historical importance can be concessioned today, which Federal Unity School is next?” it asked.

The organisation also rejected the planned withdrawal of Federal Government funding six months after the transition, describing it as “absolutely unacceptable.”

It said government could not establish a public institution, benefit from its national character for generations and subsequently terminate its financial responsibility after handing over its management to another entity.

CDHR maintained that Nigeria needed increased responsible, transparent and accountable public investment in education rather than reduced government involvement.

The organisation therefore demanded the immediate suspension and reversal of the concession and an end to any physical, administrative or operational handover of the college pending a transparent public review.

It also called for the publication of the full concession agreement, including its duration, financial terms, obligations, governance structure, asset arrangements, funding commitments and termination provisions.

CDHR further demanded an explanation of the legal and policy basis for transferring the management of King’s College to KCOBA and guarantees that the institution would remain genuinely public and accessible to children irrespective of their social or economic background.

It called for guarantees on the jobs, rights and welfare of teachers and other workers affected by the arrangement, as well as broad consultations involving students, parents, teachers, workers, alumni, education experts, organised labour and civil society organisations.

The group also demanded that any plan to use King’s College as a pilot for the concessioning or privatisation of Federal Unity Schools be abandoned.

CDHR cautioned the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu-led Federal Government against treating public education as another frontier for market-driven restructuring, insisting that “education is a right, not a commodity.”

It also called on KCOBA and other stakeholders to exercise restraint and not proceed with any transition that could undermine the public character, accessibility or national purpose of King’s College.

The organisation said its opposition was not against KCOBA, alumni contributions or private individuals supporting public education, but against what it described as the “creeping commercialisation of public education and the abdication of government responsibility.”

“Today, King’s College. Tomorrow, which Unity School?” CDHR asked, calling on Nigerians and education stakeholders to join forces against the policy.