ASUU STRIKE: A BLESSING IN DISGUISE OR AN OUTRIGHT DISASTER

As we march into the 116th day of ASUU’s nationwide strike action, in this episode of either end, Inda-John Elizabeth and Elabor Awelu argue if the strike action is a blessing to students or just a disaster that further points Nigeria as a failed state.

Inda-John Elizabeth

No doubt it is a blessing in disguise, and I’ll say, in fact, we should count our blessings and thank the stars.

It was Plato who said, “Reality is created by the mind, we can change our reality by changing our mind.”

This philosophy applies to the ongoing ASUU strike. If we believe it is bad, it is bad for us. If we believe it is good, it is good for us. To the average Nigerian Student, ASUU is the enemy. We plan our graduation year, ASUU interrupts and we curse them in our hearts, in our words, on our social media account. But is there any good from the strike?

I was still a fresher going for every fresher’s welcome possible when I overheard a speaker say that he always prayed for the ASUU strike. It got my attention fast! So, I listened, he was a Law Student, and every time ASUU went on strike, he had the opportunity to make money or at least try everything possible to make money. He went through lots of teachings and learned a lot. He believed that it was an opportunity and his after-school experience proved him right.

Now let’s even forget to believe in philosophy, let’s look at facts. How has the strike affected students positively? We’ll soon see. A small size survey was carried out on my WhatsApp and 80% of the respondents said that the strike helped them make money, learn things that relate to the world of today, enrich their portfolio, some got jobs, and some applied for online courses. It was refreshing to see.

We all know that Nigeria is a third-world country. Jobs are getting scarcer. Our leaders aren’t doing any better or else, there’d be no strike but there is and because of that, we must learn to work with it. The strike is a blessing in disguise. It serves as a wake-up call to the type of Nation we are in. You can’t expect the school to take you out of poverty here, what do you know outside of the already failing system. Who are you without it?

Another person mentioned that the peace of mind he has had outside the walls of the University is unmatched. He explained how the education system in Nigeria leaves Nigerian students frustrated. There’s a form of quietness without the hustle and bustle of school life.

Eventually, the strike helps Nigerian Universities. The TETfund came as a result of the strike, if ASUU comes out victorious in its industrial action, then we’re looking at better infrastructures for learning, better equipment, and so on. Who benefits eventually? You and me! The strike is a small pain that we must endure to get what we want and to become on par with our mates in the western world. Don’t just complain and nag about it. Use your time to become the You that makes heads turn.

Elabor Awelu

No, it is a disaster. A huge catastrophe.

To the Africa poignant proverbial line of the great thinkers which has lasted many centuries and has sustained generations that says “Where two elephants fight, the grasses suffer”. To the primary school students, this might just be a mere arrangement of words or an excerpt from a folktale they would be willing to hear and learn from, and the elders who know the meaning will know that it’s a powerful proverb which literary means when two powerful forces go to war, it’s the innocent people that suffer. In the fight between ASUU and the Federal government, students are metaphorically the grasses that suffer. But this suffering of the students is not seen by both parties and even the populace and the media, all that fill the air are the grievances of ASUU and the plight of the federal government not having the means to settle the demand of ASUU.

Dear readers, like the movies we watch every day, we tend to be so mesmerized by the way the characters conscientiously perform their respective roles forgetting the makeup of the scenes the camera didn’t cover. This is the same way the sufferings of the students are when ASUU is on strike are left out, maybe because they are not relevant and the focus is mainly on ASUU and Federal government and, in this piece, the focus is to bring to limelight the behind-the-scenes of these ludicrous incessant ASUU strikes in Nigeria and examining the proponent of destruction it has caused to the life of many students.

Frustration

Many Nigerian students are frustrated with the kind of education in the country. Education is supposed to be an easy way to acquire the necessary supplement needed to build oneself and the society but in Nigeria, it’s the other way round. The innate perception of learning which is also a fundamental right of everybody to be educated has turned into jeopardy in Nigerian public institutions where students suffer amid sleepless nights to pass the hurdles from primary school to writing WAEC, JAMB, and Post-JAMB to get admission into university, where the most conceptual build-up is to get stuck in the line. Education is difficult to acquire but in Nigeria, it’s rather a death sentence. For about two decades now in Nigeria, University students are constantly being thrown out of school due to one industrial strike action or the other, to the streets to protest their educational rights before they are allowed back into the school for another short period. This has tremendously led many students to the frustration that has claimed the lives of many.

Most recent is the death of Henry Ehis, who was a 300-level student of the University of Jos. This visionary student committed suicide as a result of frustration caused to him by ASUU’s incessant strikes in the country. This is a direct portrayal of the claim that “school na Scam” of the many students who choose not to go to school.

Lack of Interest in Education

The constant disruption of education in the country has made many see education as no way, thereby leaving school to find other ways to survive through life. And yes, there are many other ways to succeed in life. In Nigeria, most now abandon school for Internet fraud, popularly known as ‘Yahoo’ among the youths, pushing of drugs and the ladies taking prostitution as a veritable means to bypass school. However, every day, many students keep falling into these dangerous traps when they are thrown out of school due to strike actions. And at the same time luring many other students sitting home or roaming the street to the fancies acquired illegally.

In the same vein, about 5% or more of students who consider learning trades or skills during the period of strike never return to school to continue their education again. They tend to focus and build their trade having it in mind that even if they graduated from school, getting jobs in the country is another painstaking venture. And it’s true, education doesn’t only guarantee a better future but having it is just a part of self-development.

Shattering of Hopes and Opportunities

Every student comes with certain goals and admonition towards a brighter future irrespective of age and education level but in the long run, ASUU strike has become a disruption. Many students have this hope to graduate before 25years of age to be considered for certain age-limit jobs after graduation, but ASUU strike has become a tenet of blocking such aspiration.

Extension of Academic Years

Every academic course of study has a stipulated year but in Nigeria, the years of study while in the University are now being determined by ASUU strike periods. Students studying a four-year course now have to spend five years or even more in school before graduation, which also affects the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) mobilization. In the University of Ibadan, students who got admission into the school in 2019 are yet to resume in the 200 level. These students have spent approximately three years in the 100 level not even knowing how many more years to spend before graduation.

Increase in the number of students’ Emigration Rate

To many University students today, education in Nigeria is wrecked and even our political leaders and the wealthy people have also agreed to that by sending their children abroad for better education. This is one effect that’s crippling the Nigerian economy. Nigeria indirectly promotes the emigration of the country’s future sustenance to go unleash their potentials in other countries. In a report published by The Guardian in 2021, Nigeria loses 1.5 trillion Naira per annum to overseas studies. This is a huge sum higher than the total amount spent on education in Nigeria. The decay in the country’s educational sector and the incessant strike have caused the country huge economic losses and seriously contributed to the under-development of the sector.

Effect on Students’ Academic performance

The numerous academic breaks ushered in yearly by ASUU have become a subject of massive failure for many university students. The significant impact of strike actions on universities is that the teaching and learning process and flow are negatively affected in the sense that when students resume from strikes, they are given limited time to cover a syllabus in weeks, what was supposed to be taught for months. It was reported that a school had earlier used just a month to complete a semester meant for 3 months or more to be in line with the academic years of students. It is very saddening to know how some students are rushed without considering their preparedness before the examination. What do you expect from a student who wasn’t given the time to read? Of course, it’s failure.

Waste of incurred school expenses

Every time ASUU goes on strike, the unheard cry of many students may simply not be because of staying at home nor the time being wasted but expiration and disruption of several items procured to be in school. Considering the fact that house rents are for a stipulated period, elongated strikes make rents expire without utilization. Students have to renew their rents. Imagine if a student who already paid for a year or 6 months and it is wasted because of strike. By the time the rent expires, the students will likely have to renew the rent therehy paying more for unused commodities. Similarly, food items bought before the strike are wasted just like that. This is unfair.

The plight of students across the public institutions in Nigeria need to be put into consideration during these incessant strike actions. Students bear the brunt of these strike actions, not ASUU members who sit at home and still get paid. Getting an education shouldn’t be a death sentence for students.