Extension Of ASUU Strike A pain In The Neck Of Students

BY JOHN ALUKO

ASUU Strike – The ongoing strike of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has continued to be a pain in the neck of Nigerian undergraduates, our correspondent reports.

Although many Nigerians have been lamenting the perennial strike unusually embarked by university lecturers and works, scuttling university calendar, the government has yet to find a lasting solution to it.

A statement signed by ASUU president, Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke, while commenting on the resumed strike, said this was to give the government enough time to satisfactorily resolve all the outstanding issues.

Reacting, Oyewumi Babatunde, a final Year Student of University of Lagos said: “It has been a devastating experience as a final year student of the University of Lagos, hoping to get done and do the necessary service to the father land

“It is worthy of note that it is a distasteful experience, and to say the least, that hundreds of thousands of students in higher institutions are at home, idle and hopeless”.

Oyewunmi, lamenting that the strike has unnecessarily dragged, implored the federal government to find a solution to it, adding: ” I implore the Federal government to compassionately address this national anomaly for the sake of the future of this great government while vents of the Academic Staff Union of University have a high bait of understanding to their plights, I just hope they come together and come to a verdict, a lasting one and not a truce, Oyewumi Babatunde, a final Year Student of  University of Lagos reacted”.

Lagos State Chairman of ASUU Chapter, Dele Ashiru while featuring in News Across Nigeria on Channel Television had said of the matter: “The only option is to give government more time to destroy the life of our student’s because how can a sensible government keep university students at home for 12 weeks already on a matter which can easily resolved within a day”.

‘Although Mr. President set-up a three man committees and they have not called our Union to a meeting since February 1, the issue remained the same in the last 13 years”.

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“The demand in our issue it for Nigeria Government to consider the renegotiation of the 2009 ASUU, FGN  agreement and commence it implementation” Ashiru ended.

Another University Student who did not want his name in print, was of the opinion that “There is an untold truth that everybody is afraid to affirm in Nigeria, that one of the worst administrations this country has ever had since Independent is the present regime and I wonder why the government precipitously resolved the issue of the proposed airline strike action even before it started?  It’s very obvious that FG is negligent and want no progress for our education, nevertheless, most of these top government official enjoyed free Education, employment opportunities, and scholarship upon graduation from school then.  Every Nigerians know that student is mostly affected”.

‘I am happy that our parents are now seeing what we were subjected to in the hands of this heartless, greedy, and selfish individual called government.

Observers are worried that to date; the three-men committee that was set up by President Buhari on February 1 to resolve the issues between the union and FG had not made a headway.

It had not called a single meeting, they allege, yet Ngige would go on the media to tell Nigerians that they’re going to meet ASUU tomorrow as ASUU are ghosts.

According to one reaction: “ Until we bring those politicians to their knees and let them know the power belongs to the masses, nothing significant would change in the lives of the common man. The gap between the rich, middle class, and the poor will continue to be a wide and unimaginable one’. Saying Ogundokun Victor Kehinde, a Student of University of Ilorin, Kwara State.

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National Association of Nigerian Student’s (NANS) President,  Comrade Sunday Asefon, in his letter released after extended of ASUU warning strike , had said: “The three months extension of the strike is totally condemned. The failure of the government to reach agreement with ASUU underscores their lack of concern and empathy to the plight of the common men and women of our nation who could not afford private tertiary Institution. ‘Having exhausted all window of constructive engagement with the government. I on behalf of the leadership of NANS, therefore declare  National Action from tomorrow May 10, 2022.

It needs to be seen how the whole matter would be resolved, but for now, the students are wasting away at home with all the associated distractions and temptations because of the strike.