World Teachers’ Day: ABR Urges FG to Suspend 35-Year King’s College Concession
Funmi Ogundare As Nigeria prepares for the 2026 World Teachers’ Day on October 5, the Chief Executive Officer of Africa Brands Review (ABR), Joseph Ayodele, has called on the Federal
As Nigeria gets ready for the 2026 World Teachers' Day on October 5, the Chief Executive Officer of Africa Brands Review, Joseph Ayodele, has urged the Federal Government to suspend or retract the planned 35-year concession for King's College, Lagos. Ayodele stated in a statement titled "October 5, 2026 World Teachers' Day: Towards a Crisis-Free Celebration in Nigeria" that resolving the dispute over the concession could help keep tensions in check and ensure a smooth start to the 2026/2027 academic term.
He argued that the proposed concession, along with unresolved policy issues affecting federal schools and implementation difficulties surrounding the five-year service extension for teachers and education officials in the Federal Capital Territory, could serve as flashpoints ahead of the yearly observance. Ayodele suggested that the Federal Ministry of Education should approach the King's College concession with a cooperative mindset instead of outright criticism.
He likened the situation to his experience at Procter & Gamble in the early 1990s, where multinational corporations had to modify their operational models to fit local economic and institutional realities. Ayodele criticized the lingering delays on the 35-year King's College Concession Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), claiming that they mirrored the same intricacies.
He also expressed worries about the implementation of the five-year service extension for teachers and education officials in the FCT. Despite the FCTA's decision to extend teachers' retirement age to 65 years or 40 years of service, Ayodele pointed out that the policy had led to a temporary bottleneck in the advancement of mid-level education officials.
He suggested that these senior officials should be moved to roles such as senior education inspectorate, mentorship, and curriculum advisory instead of returning them to teaching positions. Ayodele highlighted the strides made by Nigeria's education sector in both federal and local levels, such as the Federal Ministry of Education's strategic modernization efforts, infrastructure development in the FCT, and expansions by the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC).
He specifically commended the Lagos State Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education under Commissioner Jamiu Tolani Alli-Balogun. Ayodele's Africa Brands Review released its inaugural Nigeria Education Wheel of Progress Report in June 2026, showcasing some of the reforms happening throughout the country's education system. He called upon education stakeholders to acknowledge the advancements while addressing areas of contention through dialogue and appropriate policy changes.
Regarding teacher welfare, Ayodele identified post-retirement financial security as a contributing factor to industrial tensions in the education sector. He disclosed that the African Principals Conference Initiative (APCI) was creating a school safeguarding and educator welfare initiative to enhance the recognition, capacity development, and post-service transition support for educators.
Ayodele urged the government, education administrators, unions, and other parties to collaborate and ensure that this year's World Teachers' Day focused on honoring teachers' contributions and strengthening the education system, rather than industrial disputes and policy disagreements.
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