ASUU strike: Students blame Nigerian government, call for prompt resolution

ASUU has been on strike since July 1.
Many students have lamented the
ongoing nationwide strike by university
lecturers, ASUU; calling for a quick
resolution of the dispute with the federal
government.
ASUU has been on strike since July 1
after it accused the federal government of
reneging on a 2009 agreement with the
union.
A 400-level student of the University of
Jos, Lukman Rahim, expressed his
disappointment at the strike that has
taken hundreds of thousands of Nigerian
students away from class.
“I must express my deep and profound
disappointment in the way and manner
the federal government has chosen to
handle the education sector of the
Nigerian economy, a sector which is
supposed to be described as ‘primus
interepers non secondum’; that is first
amongst equal and second to none,” he
said.
Mr. Rahim, a student of the Department of
Accounting and former financial secretary
of the university’s Students Union said “in
term of priority, education has been
jettisoned into judicial lagoon never to see
the light of the day.”
The final-year student said he has used
the opportunity of the strike to engage in
businesses such as “the customization of
T-shirts, souvenirs, printing of exclusive
posters, invitation cards, and
complementary cards.”
“We are all waiting for the clarion call to
be made (for ASUU to call off its strike)
so that we can all go back to school to
finish what we started,” he said.
Another student, Kehinde Olufisayo, a
400-level History student of the University
of Lagos blamed the federal government
for the strike.
“The demands of ASUU are genuine,
being that the federal government was
sane in the midst of signing the MOU in
2009, again the federal government has
paid so much attention lately on the
private enterprises by funding them with
huge amounts,” he said.
He, however, appealed to the striking
lecturers to consider the interests of
students who are at home because of the
strike.
Another student, Blessing Onuha, a 100-
level student of the University of Enugu,
said the strike has enabled her to “earn
more money so I could take care of
myself when ASUU decides to call off the
strike.”
“Before I gained admission into the
university to study Nursing, I wanted to be
a makeup artist because I stayed at home
for 3years before I gained admission; you
know how it is in Nigeria with JAMB? So I
went to a makeup school to acquire the
knowledge and then I finally got the
admission but now am home actually
practicing and getting more money’, she
said.
Ms. Onuha advised the striking lecturers
to ensure they resolve their issues with
the government permanently and not
make strikes a regular occurrence.
“I had hoped that if ASUU could just do
this strike once and for all and get it done
with so that there will be no more strike
again, because I had heard my aunties
and uncle say that the strike has been on
for a long time, like it’s seasonal.
“I hope the government can solve the
problem so it does not become a habit
that ASUU must go strike almost every
year’, she added
ASUU declared an indefinite strike based
on the refusal of government to honor the
terms of a 2009 agreement and a 2012
memorandum of understanding it signed
with the lecturers on improved welfare for
staff and increased funding for public
universities.