Unity colleges close to resumption as staff suspend strike

The 115 Federal Unity Colleges across the nation will soon resume after the Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria suspended its strike over the concession of King’s College.

The suspension was reached at a meeting between the leadership of the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria, ASCSN and zonal coordinators of the Unity Schools in Kano.

The union leaders resolved to suspend the industrial action to allow a seven-member committee to review the concession document for King’s College.

The colleges were originally scheduled to resume on September 13, but workers directed members to boycott the resumption, maintaining that the concession of King’s College threatened the future of the Federal Unity College system.

According to the communiqué, the leadership of the TUC, ASCSN and the zonal coordinators considered the agreement reached between labour and the Federal Ministry of Education as well as the King’s College concession document.

Consequently, they resolved “to suspend the ongoing strike action in the Unity Colleges to enable the seven (7) man Committee to review the Concession document.”

The union leaders said the decision was also based on the fact that the King’s College concession had been put on hold pending the committee’s report, with ASCSN having two representatives on the committee.

The Parent Teacher Association (PTA) of the colleges proposed Sunday, September 27, for students to return to their schools following the suspension of the strike.

The parents, in a statement said they welcomed the decision to suspend the strike, describing it as an opportunity for dialogue.

The statement reads: “We therefore call on the Federal Ministry of Education to urgently communicate its position on the proposed 27th September 2026 resumption date.’’