LAGOS — The Federal Government has approved the concession of King’s College, Lagos — one of Nigeria’s oldest and most prestigious secondary schools — to the King’s College Old Boys’ Association (KCOBA), in a move the alumni body describes as the start of a “King’s College Renaissance.”
KCOBA President Alhaji Kashim Ibrahim-Imam announced the development at a press conference at the Metropolitan Club in Victoria Island, Lagos, in early July 2026.
He called the approval “one of the most consequential developments” in the 116-year history of the institution, founded in 1909, and a potential model for revitalising public education across Nigeria.
“It is not the sale of King’s College. It is not the privatisation of King’s College. It is not the abandonment of King’s College by the Federal Government,” Ibrahim-Imam stressed. “Rather, it is the establishment of a new governance framework through which KCOBA will partner with the government to restore, strengthen, modernise and sustain one of Nigeria’s greatest educational institutions.”
Ownership of the college will remain with the Federal Government. The arrangement is framed as a collaborative governance model to address years of infrastructural decay and declining facilities while preserving the school’s public character and national admissions policy under the federal character principle.
The school will continue to admit students from across Nigeria regardless of ethnic, religious or socio-economic background.
To fund the transformation without shifting costs onto parents, KCOBA launched a ₦100 billion Collegium (or Endowment) Fund. The fund will support infrastructure renewal, teacher development and welfare (including plans to improve remuneration and training), digital technology (such as AI-assisted learning, robotics labs, broadband and e-administration), scholarships, innovation, research, student welfare and long-term sustainability.
The fund is to be chaired by the Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi II, with businessman Atedo Peterside and former Senate President Bukola Saraki among the key leaders (described in reports as vice-chairmen or senior figures).
Early contributions included ₦1 billion from Ibrahim-Imam (on behalf of himself, his family and friends), ₦100 million each from former Board of Trustees Chairman Chief Philip Asiodu and current Board Chairman Alhaji Femi Okunnu, and ₦10 million from First Lady Senator Oluremi Tinubu.
KCOBA outlined a seven-pillar transformation blueprint covering governance reforms, infrastructure (classrooms, laboratories, hostels, sports and healthcare facilities, with sustainable development), teacher development, digital transformation, academic excellence (with emphasis on STEM, entrepreneurship, research, debating, music, sports and international partnerships), leadership development, and integration of the main campus and annexe.
The association also announced the establishment of a King’s College Education Trust, with Alhaji Femi Okunnu as President of King’s College Lagos and Chairman of the Trust’s Board of Trustees, and businessman Sunny Kuku as Vice President and Vice Chairman.
Ibrahim-Imam praised President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for the “innovative leadership” behind the approval and Education Minister Dr Tunji Alausa for supporting the initiative. He urged alumni worldwide, corporate Nigeria, foundations and development partners to contribute, framing investment in the college as an investment in Nigeria’s future leadership and human capital.
The announcement has faced significant pushback. Staff under the Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria (ASCSN) King’s College unit and the Parents’ Community have rejected the concession, arguing it risks commercialisation, higher fees that could exclude low-income families, and a shift away from the school’s public mission. The PTA later issued a communiqué opposing the plan, warning it could undermine affordable public education and the institution’s founding principles.
More recently, parents have protested, carried placards declaring “King’s College is not for sale,” and threatened to suspend the next academic session’s resumption (scheduled around mid-September) and pursue litigation if the Federal Government does not clarify its position. Critics maintain the land was intended to guarantee accessible quality education for generations of Nigerians.
KCOBA has insisted the arrangement protects affordability and the school’s national character through the endowment fund and continued government partnership. As of late August 2026, the concession remains a developing story, with implementation details, formal agreements and responses to stakeholder concerns still unfolding. The development highlights broader debates in Nigeria about public-private collaboration models for rehabilitating legacy federal educational institutions.
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