By Reloaded News Desk
The Federal Government and labour unions in the Federal Ministry of Education have reached a five-point agreement aimed at resolving the dispute over the proposed management arrangement for King’s College, Lagos.
The agreement followed a meeting in Abuja involving the Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, the Minister of State for Education, Suwaiba Ahmad, and representatives of the Joint Workers Union and the Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria.
Under the agreement, the unions are expected to suspend their industrial action arising from concerns over the proposed arrangement involving the school.
The government also agreed that staff members would not be victimised or subjected to punitive action for participating in the industrial action.
Implementation of the proposed takeover arrangement involving the King’s College Old Boys Association has been paused for two weeks to allow further discussions.
The parties also agreed to redeploy police personnel from the school’s premises.
A seven-member committee will review the agreement between the Federal Government and the King’s College Old Boys Association, examine concerns raised by the unions and make recommendations on outstanding issues.
The dispute centres on the proposed concession arrangement involving the historic Lagos school.
The Federal Government has maintained that the proposed concession does not amount to the sale of the institution, while opposition to the arrangement has raised questions about its management, staff welfare and the future of the school.
The latest agreement provides a temporary framework for further negotiations.
