Protesters Call for Removal of Tinubu’s Minister Alausa, Pantami Speaks Out
- Workers of the Federal Ministry of Education blocked the entrance to the ministry's headquarters on Wednesday, September stopping the minister from entering
- The protest is linked to an ongoing dispute over the proposed 35-year concession of King's College, Lagos, to its old boys' association
- Former communications minister Isa Ali Pantami weighed in on the standoff, defending Alausa's record and urging dialogue between both sides
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Legit.ng journalist Ridwan Adeola Yusuf has over 9 years of experience covering education in Nigeria and Africa.
FCT, Abuja - Workers at the Federal Ministry of Education on Wednesday, September 16, barricaded the entrance to the ministry's headquarters in Abuja, physically preventing Minister Tunji Alausa and Acting Permanent Secretary Folake Olatunji-David from accessing their offices.
A video shared on X (formerly Twitter) showed a large crowd of workers gathered at the gate as a motorcade believed to be carrying the minister pulled up to the premises. The workers could be heard chanting "Alausa must go" as they held their ground at the entrance.
Source: Twitter
King's College concession fuels standoff
The protest is rooted in a deepening dispute between the ministry's workforce and the Federal Government over a proposed 35-year concession of King's College, Lagos, to the school's old boys' association. Workers' unions have repeatedly demanded the minister's removal and firmly rejected the concession plan.
Beyond King's College, the unions have raised concerns about staff welfare, promotions, and other administrative matters within the ministry, with many of these issues, they say, have gone unaddressed despite talks between both sides.
Pantami backs Alausa, urges dialogue
Former Minister of Communications and Digital Economy Isa Ali Pantami responded to the demonstration on his verified X account, defending the minister's performance and cautioning against calls for his removal.
"I have observed with deep concern the agitations by some staff of the Federal Ministry of Education today calling for the removal of the Minister of Education, Dr Maruf Tunji Alausa. I have met the Minister only once briefly in my entire life, but from my objective assessment of this administration's cabinet, I consider him to be among the top three ministers in terms of vision, impact and execution," Pantami wrote.
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He pointed to several reforms credited to Alausa, including the Nigeria Education Sector Renewal Initiative, the enrolment of over 150,000 trainees across more than 1,600 Technical and Vocational Education and Training centres, the introduction of biometric verification in funding, and the automation of result collection and transcript processes. Amid the presidency of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Alausa has also been recognised as TVET Champion of the Year, according to Pantami.
Pantami acknowledged the workers' frustrations but argued that many of their concerns sit beyond the minister's direct authority.
"Matters of welfare, promotions and funding often require inter-ministerial approvals, Head of Service of the Federation and fiscal processes that take time," he said.
He called on both the ministry's leadership and the unions to find a resolution through structured talks rather than confrontation.
"Calling for the removal of a reform-minded Minister, who is among the best in the administration will not solve systemic challenges; it will only truncate the momentum that has been built," Pantami added.
He urged a roundtable between the Permanent Secretary and the staff unions to resolve outstanding concerns amicably.
Watch the video of the anti-Alausa protest below via the X post:
Read Pantami's position on the anti-Alausa demonstration below via X:
Federal government insists on resumption
Earlier, Legit.ng reported that the federal government maintained that all Federal Unity Colleges would resume in September.
The Ministry of Education assured students, parents and guardians that adequate measures had been put in place for a safe and orderly commencement of the new academic session, adding that Alausa had notified relevant security agencies of the arrangements and that security personnel had been placed on heightened alert around the colleges.
Source: Legit.ng
