ASUU’s strike: The pain, the anguish

By Mosunmola Ayobami, Ilorin

Academic activities are to resume nationwide soon, following the suspension of the eight months’ strike embarked upon by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU). The suspension of the strike was pronounced after the intervention of the Speaker, House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila by ASUU President, Prof Emmanuel Osodeke.

The lecturers had been adamant that the Federal Government must meet their demands, which they claimed revolve around a revitalized and structured universities all can be proud of.

Incidentally, with the recalcitrant posture of both parties, the strike, which started on 14 February, lingered and became the longest in the history of industrial action in the country, with its concomitant effect on students, lecturers, parents, the university system and other stakeholders.

The strike, when it was declared in February, compounded the interruption already created by the outbreak of COVID-19 in the university system. Some of the institutions were still struggling to readjust to their academic calendar following the outbreak, which led to nationwide lockdown that lasted for months.

Abdulkareem Oladimeji told WesternPost that he gained admission to study a course of five years in 2017 in one of the federal universities. According to him, for the past two years, he has remained on the same 300L due to COVID-19 and the ASSU strike.

Oladimeji said that some of his mates who could afford fees demanded by private and state owned institutions are either serving the mandatory one-year national service or in their final year.

He described the situation as demoralizing, especially when he sees some of his mates leaving the country to further their education abroad.

Another student in the Department of Educational Management, University of Ilorin, Omowunmi Ajumobi could not hide her frustration, noting that the industrial action caused her to be stagnant in one place for so long.

Ajumobi told WesternPost that she got a message from her landlord few days before the strike was called off to know whether she was still interested in a room apartment she was using off campus.

She said that she was lucky enough not to have paid for the renewal of the rent on the eve of the strike as the transfer of N48,000 she made to the landlord account bounced back. While she was trying to resend the money, she said, the lecturers decided to embark on the marathon strike.

She said she is bracing up for a likely face-off between her and the landlord who may want two years rent, increase the amount to be paid or she should be ready to exit the apartment.

The 300L student added that she could not do anything profitable while the strike lasted. According to her, the pay from a sales representative’s job she got could not even foot her transportation fare among other expenses.

A lecturer from the Department of Mass communication, University of Ilorin, Dr Fatima Abubakar described the eight months suspended strike as very unfortunate and said she hoped the government would see reason to accede to their requests.

Dr Abubakar, who spent most months of the strike outside the country said if government is concerned about the development of her citizens, it is important to accord education the attention it deserves, adding that tertiary education in Nigeria should be accorded the highest priority.

“It is very unfortunate that it’s happening in the first instance, but be that as it may, I’m glad we are back now. I hope the government will see reason to accede to our requests, because research is something that can’t cost and it brings about the development of the society. So, if government is concerned about the development of its citizens, it’s important to accord education the attention it deserves and tertiary education in Nigeria urgently deserves attention because we export our brains. “Despite the constraints and difficulty in which we operate, there’s a lot we can still offer if the environment is made right.

“Actually, I was outside the country; I just came in about three months ago. So like I said, it’s unfortunate for it to happen at all,” she said.

An associated professor from the Department of Industrial Relations and Personnel Management, University of Ilorin, Kadir Bolarinwa, while in support of the strike, said universities in the country must have structures and be able to compete with their counterparts in any part of the world.

He pointed out that lecturers had to endure unpalatable consequences while the strike lasted. Some, he said, in attempt to make legitimate earnings, went into farming, some into decorations, while others embraced poultry.

“As an associate professor in the university, it has not been easy but we thank God we didn’t lose at the end of the day. We were able to put forward why the strike must be; we wanted a revitalized university. We wanted a university that has structures, a university that can compete with any other universities in the world.

“We have the competent hands within but if the facilities are not there, then it makes no sense because we see array of Nigerians when they are outside Nigeria they make a lot of changes. We also want them to make it from home here. We are happy it’s coming to an end no doubt.

“It’s not easy. As a lecturer in the Management Sciences, we teach students how to be independent so some of us when we discovered that, it wasn’t easy, we have to look at other ways to make legitimate earnings. Some went into farming, some into decorations, some into adding value into farm input, poultry and so on and so forth,” Bolarinwa said.

With the strike lasting so long, it is hoped that the Federal Government and ASUU have found a common ground to resolve the crises in that sector once and for all.