Unity colleges resumption is under way this week after the Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria (ASCSN) suspended the strike that kept Nigeria’s 115 Federal Unity Colleges shut for about two weeks, with boarders returning from Sunday, September 27, 2026, and day students from Monday, September 28. The reopening ends a standoff over the Federal Government’s plan to hand King’s College, Lagos, to its old boys’ association, but the dispute itself isn’t settled yet.
The two-week pause on the King’s College concession, agreed between government and organised labour on September 16, runs out around the end of this month, and a seven-member committee is still reviewing the deal. If you have a child in any federal government college, here’s what’s confirmed, what’s still open, and what to check with the school this week.
- Ministry directs King's College handover to old boys' association
- Original resumption for the 2026/2027 sessionBlocked by the strike
- Government and labour agree two-week pause and review committee
- ASCSN suspends strikeCommuniqué issued the next day
- Boarders resumeDate proposed by the PTA
- Day students resume
- Two-week pause on the concession endsAround 30 September 2026Committee report expected
The end of the two-week pause is an estimate based on the September 16 agreement; no fixed date has been published.
Why the unity colleges resumption was delayed in the first place
The Federal Ministry of Education directed on September 4 that King's College, Lagos, be handed over to the King's College Old Boys Association (KCOBA) under a concession arrangement. Education Minister Tunji Alausa has said the Federal Government remains the legal owner of the 117-year-old school, with the old boys' association taking responsibility for funding, rehabilitating, running and maintaining it. Workers and many parents saw it differently and feared it was the first step towards privatising other unity schools.
The protest spread from King's College to all 115 federal colleges. Schools that should have opened for the new session in mid-September stayed closed, and in some states, such as Anambra, Ebonyi and Enugu, unions barred staff and students from entering school premises altogether.
What the union actually agreed, and what it didn't
The suspension came out of a meeting in Kano between the leadership of the Trade Union Congress, ASCSN officials and zonal coordinators representing unity schools across the country. Their communiqué said the union would "suspend the ongoing strike action" while the review committee examines the concession document. ASCSN holds two of the seven seats on that committee.
That's a suspension rather than a cancellation, so the strike can return if workers aren't satisfied with the committee's findings. The Parent Teacher Association proposed the September 27 return date and asked the ministry to "urgently communicate its position on the proposed September 27, 2026 resumption date", so it's sensible to confirm the exact arrangements with your child's school rather than rely on messages forwarded on WhatsApp.
What parents should check this week
Call or message the school's official line or PTA executives to confirm the resumption date for your child's class, whether boarding facilities are fully open, and whether the first-term calendar has been adjusted to make up for the lost weeks. Ask as well whether any fees or levies were rescheduled because of the delay. Keep an eye on the committee's report around the end of the month, because its outcome will decide whether classes run smoothly for the rest of the term or whether the unions return to the picket line.
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