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Unity Schools Alumni Raise Concerns Over Proposed Land Concession

Published

1 month ago

May 9, 2026

Preport

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By Glory Akpan

The Unity Schools Old Students Association (USOSA) has raised concerns over the planned concession of lands belonging to some unity schools by the Federal Government.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the members of the association, drawn from over 60 unity schools across the country, expressed their concerns during an awareness walk and rally on Saturday in Lagos.

The members, some carrying placards with captions including, “PPP: Save the Future” and “Schools are not for Real Estate”, urged the Federal Government to engage alumni associations in funding and developing the institutions.

Speaking at the rally, Humphrey Nwafor, Lagos Chapter President of the Federal Government College, Kano Old Students Association, said the alumni support Public-Private Partnerships (PPP) but oppose the sale of educational assets.

Nwafor said 33 hectares of land belonging to FGC Kano was concessioned without adequate consultation with stakeholders.

“We are saying there is a better option. Instead of selling our lands and assets, we would rather fund the schools ourselves.

“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,” he said.

According to him, the concession arrangement involving the school’s land will undermine the future of unity schools established to promote national integration.

“These schools are building the unity of this country.

“They were established to unite Nigerians from different ethnic and religious backgrounds.

“We are appealing to President Bola Tinubu to intervene and ensure that public educational assets are protected,” Nwafor said.

Also speaking, the President-General of USOSA, Jos, Michael Magaji, said unity schools are nation-building institutions that have produced leaders across various sectors.

According to Magaji, alumni associations have long contributed to school infrastructure and educational support.

He called on the Federal Government to leverage alumni networks in addressing funding challenges confronting unity schools.

“We are in solution mode and impact mode.

“We believe alumni associations should be integrated into the process of repositioning these schools.

“We recently met with officials of the Federal Ministry of Education and discussions are ongoing toward finding mutually beneficial solutions,” he said.

Magaji said the association was advocating a sustainable funding model that would preserve educational assets while improving infrastructure, manpower and learning conditions.

Similarly, Mr Alex Akindumila, President of FGC Idoani Alumni Association, said the concession controversy was a national test of how public assets and educational institutions were being managed.

Akindumila warned that reducing lands allocated to unity schools could limit future expansion, agricultural projects, sports facilities, technical workshops and staff accommodation.

“The lands allocated to unity schools were deliberate and visionary.

“They were designed to ensure that the schools remain self-sustaining and adaptable to future needs,” he said.

He added that the schools remained central to Nigeria’s unity and development agenda.

Also, Mrs Ifeoma Okeke, an alumna of FGC Ileja, called for transparency, due process and stakeholder engagement in any PPP arrangement involving educational institutions.

She said PPP agreements should align with the public purpose of the schools and not diminish their long-term capacity.

“There must be transparency, competitiveness and proper stakeholder engagement in any concession process involving public educational assets,” she said.

Mr John Duru, another alumnus of FGC Kano, said alumni associations represented a major but underutilised resource in supporting education in Nigeria.

Duru said alumni bodies across unity schools possessed the financial and professional capacity to support infrastructure, curriculum development and innovation without disposing of school lands.

“This is about more than land. It’s about legacy.

“It’s about whether institutions built with foresight and sacrifice will be preserved with the same care that were built and preserved.

“We are not against development or partnership but we are against exclusion and erosion of public educational assets,” he said.

Samuel Valentine, an alumnus of FGC Port Harcourt, said the rally was held to support FGC Kano and protest the government’s planned concession of the school’s land.(NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Folasade Adeniran

Related Topics:Alumni Concerns Concession Land Proposed raise Schools Unity

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Dangote refinery cuts jet fuel price to N1,450 per litre

Published

9 hours ago

June 20, 2026

Preport

The Dangote Petroleum Refinery has reduced its gantry price for aviation turbine kerosene (ATK), commonly known as jet fuel, to N1,450 per litre.

A source at the refinery confirmed the development on Friday, saying the price was reduced from N1,550 per litre to N1,450 per litre.

According to the source, the adjustment took effect on Tuesday.

The latest reduction comes less than two weeks after the refinery lowered the ex-depot price of premium motor spirit (PMS), also known as petrol, by N75 per litre.

In a circular to oil marketers, the refinery said the petrol price adjustment, which took effect on 16 June, followed developments in the international energy market.

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Business

FG seeks banks’ support to strengthen revenue collection through digital platform

Published

17 hours ago

June 20, 2026

Preport

The Federal Government has intensified efforts to improve revenue collection and reduce leakages by engaging commercial banks to implement the Revenue Optimisation Assurance Platform (RevOp), a digital system designed to enhance transparency and accountability in public finance management.

The initiative was the focus of a sensitisation workshop organised by the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation (OAGF) in Abuja on Friday.

Speaking at the event, the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Taiwo Oyedele, represented by the Permanent Secretary for Special Duties, Mohammed Danjuma, said the platform was introduced to modernise government revenue administration and address longstanding inefficiencies associated with manual processes.

According to him, RevOp provides a centralised digital platform that enables government agencies to generate bills, collect payments, monitor transactions, and report revenue in real time.

“RevOp serves as a critical tool in the government’s drive to improve revenue administration, reduce leakages and enhance public sector accountability,” he said.

Mr Oyedele said the government remains committed to deploying technology-driven solutions to strengthen revenue generation and improve financial management across public institutions.

He noted that while the platform has recorded progress since its introduction, implementation challenges persist, particularly among some banking personnel responsible for processing payments.

According to him, inadequate understanding of the platform’s processes by frontline banking staff has affected customer experience and transaction efficiency.

“These challenges, though operational in nature, have significant impacts on the overall customer experience and effectiveness of the initiative. This is precisely why we are here today,” he added.

The minister stressed that commercial banks play a critical role in ensuring the initiative’s success, adding that their responsibilities extend beyond collecting payments to supporting efficient revenue administration.

He urged financial institutions to ensure that knowledge gained from the workshop reaches branch managers, customer service officers and tellers who interact directly with members of the public.

Over 70 per cent of agencies are onboarded

Also speaking, the Director of Revenue and Investment at the OAGF, Adebayo Adewale, disclosed that more than 70 per cent of federal government-owned entities have already been integrated into the platform.

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According to him, the platform works through existing licensed payment service providers and commercial banks nationwide.

“People will be presenting RevOp-generated bills to commercial banks for payment, and we expect prompt collection,” he said.

The Product Manager of RevOp, Idris Dosunmu, said the platform integrates billing, payment, and settlement processes into a single framework, ensuring greater transparency from bill generation to final remittance.

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The Revenue Optimisation Assurance Platform forms part of the Federal Government’s broader public finance reform programme aimed at improving accountability, boosting non-oil revenue and strengthening oversight of public funds.

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Approved by the Federal Executive Council, the platform enables real-time monitoring and reconciliation of government revenues while integrating with other digital financial management systems.

Earlier this month, government officials disclosed that 31 ministries, departments and agencies had already been onboarded onto the platform, with plans to expand coverage across the public sector.

Authorities say the initiative is expected to help curb fraud, improve revenue tracking and strengthen confidence in government financial management systems as Nigeria seeks to increase domestic revenue mobilisation.