Former Chief Whip of the Senate, Sir Rowland Owie, has criticised President Bola Tinubu over the Federal Government’s decision to concession Kings College, Lagos, to the school’s Old Boys Association.

Owie, who spoke in Benin City on Tuesday, said the move could undermine the country’s unity school system and urged the Federal Government to reverse the decision.

The former lawmaker’s criticism comes amid a nationwide strike by staff of federal unity schools over the concession of Kings College.

The protesting workers have expressed concerns that allowing the concession to proceed could pave the way for similar arrangements in other unity schools, describing the policy as a possible attempt to privatise the institutions.

Owie said unity schools remained important symbols of national integration and should be protected.

He questioned the decision to concession the institutions, particularly under an administration led by Tinubu, whom he described as coming from the former Western Region, where the old United Progressive Party (UPN) promoted free education and healthcare.

“This is trying to destroy unity school, you want to privatise them? It is shocking that the president of a nation that comes from old western region, which was controlled by the old UPN where free education started, free health, can now be talking about privatising education,” Owie said.

He described the policy as unacceptable and called for its immediate reversal, arguing that doing so was necessary to preserve national unity.

“This policy should be reversed immediately so that the unity of our country will be sustained,” he said.