• Friday, March 29, 2024
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Nigerians express mixed feelings on ASUU’s conditional strike suspension

ASUU set for action over part salary payment

Many Nigerians are happy that the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has suspended its lingering strike after eight months. Yet they are worried about the consequences on students and the fact that it is still a ‘conditional’ suspension.

ASUU decided to suspend the strike it embarked on Monday, February 14, 2022 to press home its demands from the federal government if certain conditions are met. The lecturers agreed to suspend the strike after the union’s National Executive Council (NEC) meeting on Thursday, October 13, in Abuja.

Oluwatomisin Amokeoja, a post-graduate student at the University of Lagos told BusinessDay that since it is a conditional suspension, he is worried the union may return to strike if the government does not meet the conditions outlined for it by ASUU.

“For my worries, ASUU may soon lay down tools again if the lecturers’ demands are not met. Besides, the grades of many students will never be the same as the lecturers will try to rush them with outstanding assignments, tests, examinations, and research projects because they are far behind schedule,” he said.

“I mean a session was wasted on the strike. On my expectations, I hope we don’t get to experience strikes again for this long in the academia or any other sector for that matter going forward.”

Oyinlola Oguntola, a student thinks it is all about students continuing from where they left off.

“I won’t say I am happy or sad. I just have to resign to fate, that’s why I said the school decides the pace and I will have to adjust my academic work and personal life to it. It is unfortunate that the school has to decide because the lecturers are in control,” she said.

Stephen Okoye, a student at the Enugu State University of Science and Technology (ESUT), thinks the suspension of the strike does not portend a good omen for him.

“The ASUU strike was a breach of my academic goals, and it is now causing me financial pains as my landlord has been threatening to eject me from my off-campus residence after my rent expired in April,” he lamented.

Read also: ASUU strike: Issues of funding, educational standard not resolved – Gbajabiamila

“So, for me, it is not just about going back to school, it is also about paying my outstanding rent, which should not have been in the first place if there was no strike.”

Another student, Majeed Balogun, wished there would be a kind of waiver for assignments, and students are given extra marks for the mental torture, and if possible, scrapping of projects, among others to compensate the students. He also thought it is high time students formed a union and start their own strike.

“This strike has derailed our academic journey and plans, and we deserve to be compensated as well either in cash or in kind,” he said.

For Seyi Fatimehin, an undergraduate student at the University of Ilorin in Kwara State, the suspension of the strike comes with joy and worries.

“I’m happy the strike is call-off and I hope they won’t change their mind. But I’m worried because most of the things we learned before the strike have been forgotten because of the long stay at home. I will have to read to remember them again,” he said.

Grace Elueme, a part-time postgraduate student at UNILAG is not elated over the suspension of the strike.

“Seriously I am tired. I don’t feel like resuming. The economic situation is driving one crazy. The main thing now is to hustle and survive. I can’t even keep my brain together and concentrate to read,” she bemoaned,” Elueme said.

Tega Obada, a student at the University of Benin (UNIBEN) in Edo State told BusinerssDay that about one in every two students are happy the strike has been suspended because they are fed up with staying at home and the delay in moving to the next level in their education.

However, she noted that the others are unhappy with the resumption because they feel it should have been next year.

“A lot of the students have conditioned their minds that resumption is next year. Many of them are not ready financially. They’ve invested a lot into making money since the strike began and their mind is not in resumption now,” she noted.

Friday Erhabor, a parent, said the resumption is coming rather too late.

“The strike itself was avoidable. The federal government did not handle the issue well. The conditional suspension of the strike is okay but it technically means the strike is not over yet. Conditional suspension means they can resume any time the federal government fails to fulfill the condition attached to the suspension. Government should resolve this crisis once and for all,” he said.