By Mathew Johnson

Hundreds of alumni of Federal Government Colleges, popularly known as Unity Schools, weekend, staged coordinated rallies in Lagos, Abuja and Kano ,over planned concession of over 30 hectares of land belonging to Federal Government College (FGC), Kano, to a private firm.

The protest march, organised under the umbrella of the Unity Schools Old Students Association (USOSA), began from the Eko Atlantic City gate and proceeded through Muri Okunola Park, Victoria Island, Lagos, drawing wide public attention. Protesters, drawn from 60 Unity Schools across the country, carried placards bearing inscriptions such as “FGC Kano Is Not for Sale,” “Hands Off Our Heritage,” and “Revoke the Concession Now,” alongside others reading “Unity Schools are a national legacy, don’t turn them into real estate,” “PPP must serve education, not land conversion,” “No to PPP that liquidates school assets,” and “Unity Schools are a legacy, preserve them.”

Addressing journalists, President-General of USOSA, Michael Magaji, said Unity Schools remained foundational institutions for nation-building and must not be stripped of their strategic assets under any guise, adding that they were designed to foster unity, discipline and leadership among Nigerian youths from diverse backgrounds.

“We were taught how to build a nation and live within diversity. We were trained to be excellent in all we do and to also be leaders. These schools are not just educational institutions; they are nation-building platforms that have shaped generations of Nigerians,” he said.

He added that USOSA was engaging government on more sustainable ways of optimising school assets without disposing of public property.

“We are in discussion with the Ministry of Education on how the assets of Unity Schools can be better managed. These schools have vast land and resources that can be put to better use through collaboration, not concession to third parties,” he stated.

On his part, President of the FGC Idoani Old Students Association, Alex Akindumi, described the development as a national test of governance, transparency and protection of public educational assets. He warned that the concession of school lands could undermine long-term planning and sustainability of Unity Schools nationwide.

“What is happening at FGC Kano is no longer just about one institution. It is a national test of how we treat public assets and whether institutions built for future generations can be quietly converted into commercial inventory. When you reduce the land of a Unity School, you reduce possibilities, vision and future expansion,” he said.

He added that the lands were deliberately reserved for sports, agriculture, academic expansion, workshops and staff housing, warning that their disposal would weaken the schools’ structure and purpose.

Lagos Chapter President of the Federal Government College Kano Old Students’ Association, Humphrey Nwafor, said the gathering was an awareness march aimed at drawing government attention to the alumni’s opposition to the proposed Public-Private Partnership (PPP) arrangement involving the concession of school land.

“We are here to let the government know that there are better alternatives to selling the lands and assets of Unity Schools. If the issue is funding, we are ready to support and fund these schools ourselves,” he said. “You do not need to sell our lands or assets to raise money. As alumni, we have the capacity to contribute meaningfully to the development of these schools without sacrificing their heritage.”

Nwafor explained that tensions escalated after the Federal Ministry of Education allegedly developed PPP guidelines without involving key stakeholders, including alumni associations. “FGC Kano has about 85 hectares of land and they want to concession 33 hectares for about N8.5 billion. Meanwhile, our association is already raising about N5 billion this year without taking one inch of school land. Once that land is gone, it is gone forever,” he said.

He stressed that Unity Schools remain critical institutions for national integration, noting that they have shaped generations of Nigerians across ethnic and religious divides. “You can see an Igbo man from Enugu standing here fighting for land in Kano because that school helped shape who I am today. People from every part of Nigeria passed through these schools and built unity and lifelong bonds there,” he said. Nwafor urged President Bola Tinubu to intervene, warning against the commercialisation of public educational assets. “We are calling on the President to call the Minister to order. Public land belongs to Nigerians, not a few appointees. Governments will come and go, but Nigeria will remain. Unity Schools must be protected as legacy institutions that unite this country,” he added.

Other speakers at the rally warned that Unity Schools, established to promote national integration, were now at risk of losing their core identity if public assets were commercialised.

Retired General Abdulrasheed Lawal said the disputed land represented future expansion space for the school. “Whether it becomes a hotel, shopping complex or office space is not the issue. The issue is that it is federal school land meant for Nigerian children,” he said.

The protesters maintained their demand for immediate cancellation of the concession and threatened to escalate the matter to the National Assembly and the Presidency if the Federal Government fails to reverse the decision.

Already, they I formed that the matter had been taken to the court, where a restainung order had been issued to both parties, pending the termination of the order.
As of press time, the Federal Ministry of Education had yet to issue an official response, although a senior official maintained that the concession was part of broader efforts to modernise Unity Schools through private sector participation.