“A Heritage Under Siege”: Thousands of Unity School Alumni Protest in Lagos, Abuja and Kano over Controversial FGC KANO Land Swap in

Over 2,000 alumni of Nigeria’s Federal Government Colleges (Unity Schools) took to the streets across three cities on Saturday, May 9, in a coordinated protest against a contentious land concession deal that critics say amounts to the “commercialisation of a national legacy” .

The nationwide awareness walk, organised under the auspices of the Unity Schools Old Students Association (USOSA) and branded with the rallying call “Pro Unitate – Better Together,” targeted a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) arrangement at Federal Government College (FGC) Kano . Under the deal, approved by the Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (ICRC), Pluck Global Construction Company would invest approximately N8.5 billion in infrastructure upgrades in exchange for roughly 30 to 33 hectares of the school’s land—a plot alumni estimate to be worth over N36 billion .

The protest followed a breakdown in talks with the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, earlier this week. Multiple online reports had detailed a meeting where USOSA and FGC KANO leaders formally offered to match the developer’s proposal funding the N8.5 billion project without ceding a single inch of land a proposition the Ministry reportedly declined to accept .

“We are not enemies of development, but this development must not choke the school,” said Humphrey Nwafor, National Chapter President of USOSA in Lagos, addressing a crowd of placard-wielding alumni. “If the government says it does not have enough money to run the schools, the old students can provide support without taking one inch of land” .

This weekend’s rallies are the latest escalation in a dispute that has been brewing since at least April 2026. As previously reported by the media, the controversy erupted publicly when the Minister of State for Education, Professor Suwaiba Said Ahmad, laid the foundation for the project, describing it as part of the Tinubu administration’s “Renewed Hope” agenda .

At the time, the minister argued that the government “cannot spend over N8bn at once in just one school when we have over 100 federal government colleges” . However, alumni quickly mobilised opposition, with FGC Kano Old Students Association (FGCKOSA) President Shoyinka Shodunke describing the move as a destruction of a national educational legacy .

“Our unity schools were established as symbols of excellence, integration, and nation-building,” Shodunke had stated in an April 6 press release . “Any action that diminishes their integrity reflects a troubling disregard for education as a driver of national progress.”

During Saturday’s protest, which drew representatives from over 40 Unity Schools, speakers emphasised that the fight extends far beyond Kano.

“We have representatives from Federal Government College Ido Ani, Federal Government College Odogbolu, Okigwe, Port Harcourt, Ikot Ekpene, Bakori, Gboko, Ugwalowo, Sokoto, Warri, Kings and Queens College Lagos and 47 others standing here today,” Nwafor told the crowd. “This is a united front.”

One of the Speakers Mr Alex President FGC Ido Ani old states, noted that the present set of students represent the 11th generation of Nigerians who would lose critical recreational space if the deal proceeds.

“The land identified for this project is meant for learning, not for a residential or commercial estate,” Shodunke had previously warned journalists, citing security risks associated with introducing a mixed-use development adjacent to a secondary school .

Pluck Global Construction Company has vigorously defended the arrangement. In statements released following initial alumni protests in early April, Managing Director Musaddiq Ado Bala Talle insisted the agreement followed due regulatory process and was designed to enhance not undermine the school’s legacy .

Talle clarified that his firm would invest over N8 billion in new facilities, including a skills acquisition centre, staff quarters, a modern female hostel, a health centre, a sports complex, and comprehensive renovations of 54 classrooms, laboratories, and hostels . Under the terms, the company would receive 40 per cent of the “underutilised” portion of land as return on investment—but only upon completion of the 36-month project .

“The project will create a safer, more conducive learning environment and help secure the school’s future,” Talle had said .

But alumni remain unmoved. Pointing to a petition that has now gathered over 4,000 signatures addressed to President Bola Tinubu, USOSA leaders demanded an immediate and unconditional cancellation of the agreement .

“These signatures represent the collective voice of thousands of Nigerians who believe that our Unity Schools are not bargaining chips,” Shodunke had stated after the petition crossed its signature threshold . “We have invested our hearts, our resources, and our futures into these institutions. To see even an inch of our land swapped without our consent is an affront to everything we stand for.”

As of press time, the Ministry of Education had not issued an official response to the rallies. However, a senior official speaking on condition of anonymity maintained that “no concrete structure will be built on the students’ play fields”—an assurance USOSA leaders dismissed as “semantic trickery.”

The alumni have vowed to escalate their campaign to the National Assembly and the Presidency.