ASUU: When a Lingering Strike Becomes an Aberration

By Jamilah Sani Dahiru

Nigerian students, especially those in our public universities are not smiling at the moment. Their schools have been shut as a result of the ongoing industrial action the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, embarked on, in February this year.

The ASUU strike, which seems not to have an end in sight, has already affected the smooth operation of the 2021/2022 academic sessions of most public universities.

The ongoing strike commenced after a ASUU National Executive Council meeting in November 2021.

The major issues highlighted in the meeting were; funding for revitalization of public universities, earned academic allowances, deployment of University Transparency Accountability Solution (UTAS) to replace IPPIS, promotion arrears, renegotiation of the 2009 ASUU-FGN Agreement, and the inconsistencies in Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System Payment, among others others.

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The union, however, began a month-long warning strike on February 14, 2022, and has continued to do so to this day.

Initially, the ASUU strike was justified, but a lengthy strike validates the Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu’s suggestion that students should file a lawsuit against the union.

The Federal Government stands on the notion of “no work, no pay” and hence the government rejects the quest for salaries to be paid during the five months period of the strike.

The association is demanding payment for the time they were on strike, threatening to prolong the strike if their demands are not being met.

Students, on the other hand, are lagging in academics and not being involved in the decision-making that affects them the most.

They are wasting valuable time staying back home doing nothing with high hopes of the strike being called off.

Meanwhile, other students with better opportunities are changing institutions from our Federal and State universities to private schools and other ones across the country, which makes the country at the losing end.

In Nigeria, private universities are now becoming the only option for parents and children that are fortunate to study, with an increasing number of admitted students every year, those not fortunate enough are pathetically ignored until the unending strike comes to an end.

Private Universities are amazingly benefitting from the continuous strike with the large number of students seeking admission across the country.

While on this strike, Federal university lecturers are lecturing in private institutions to make ends meet and get more money meanwhile the students are left to face the consequences of wasting valuable time and future.

ASUU’s demand for payment while on strike will inspire others to plan protests and strike activities in the hopes of receiving payment. When individuals begin to be compensated for going on strike or protesting, people will keep doing it as a type of lazy protest to save money without even working.

The ongoing strike at the Federal University serves as evidence that it causes disruptions to the school’s academic timetable.

Once there is an organizational dispute, it would make room for calendar modification, which surely would impair the country’s technical education program’s ability to operate smoothly.

Therefore, it is time for everyone in the education sector to cease functioning in divisions and oligarchies and come together.

The government must declare the education sector to be in a state of emergency, and all relevant parties must find a cooperative and sensible solution.

In all honesty, holding lengthy conversations now would be a sign of insincerity or failing to understand the gravity of the situation.

Furthermore, the Government should convene a larger gathering of important stakeholder groups, not just the Ministries and the Unions to deliberate and make crucial decisions that will promote the education sector and guarantee that our students, who have been at home for over five months, immediately return to school.

The government should also understand that they are responsible for the right to education of every Nigerian and should find an immediate action to resolve this conflict.

Similarly, Student Representative Council (SRC) should be involved in the decision-making between ASUU and the Federal Government. The students are the ones being affected and should be able to partake in making important decisions that will determine their future goals and careers.

ASUU should modify the system used in Universities to teach.

The education system in Nigerian Public Universities is at its worst. The government, on the other hand, should include ASUU in the budget-making process and management of the education sector, particularly the funding of University education.

The association should put students into consideration and call off the pending strike thereby resolving their issues with the Federal Government after students are sent back to school. We must never lose sight of the fact that growing crimes in society and idle youths have created a very strong tie.

Keeping University students who are wasting time at their homes and have no idea when school would resume is risky for the nation.

Jamilah Sani Dahiru

Nile University of Nigeria [email protected]