So after, the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) thought it wise enough to head back to the lecture rooms after decades of negotiations with the PMB-led government, what happens to the students now out of stock with formal education whose realities have been shattered?
Yes, the Federal Government might have greased the ego of the academic union.
But then one question tops the chart, are students mentally fit for the upcoming rigorous academic life?
As the union appeared to be firmly dug-in to press home their demands to the government, some students recognised the need to learn various legal trades and handiworks.
Some students rather opted in for; online scams, sexual escort for the highest bidders, gangsterism, militancy, armed robbery and other social vices.
In Nigeria’s parlance, online scams and erotic escorts are both known as Yahoo and Hookup, respectively. The future of tomorrow, so sad.
In the space of months, the infamous Yahoo and hookup participants acquired exotic cars and Apple gadgets while the trade learning students could barely purchase airtime(s) for their already dilapidating and worn-out android phones.
Now, glory be to the heavens, the industrial action has been called off with panic and dismay clearly shown on the faces of students.
Some students are even married, pregnant or have just put to bed. What is the academic body’s plans on helping such students out? I have not heard nor seen signs of any plans yet. Maybe to them the students are just collateral damage, hence expandable.
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Artisans who opened up their arms of warm embrace to students who wished to learn one trade or the other are now disgruntled and regretful, the students and the union destabilised their mode of training exercises (now too short). Most students are even unwilling to resume. To them; what inheritance do they have in the university, everyone to his own tent.
And those who wished to become half-baked artisans (without completing their training) by returning to the four walls of the university are fretting and frustrated, no-thanks to various universities scaring them off with immediate examinations upon arrival.
On the other hand, the fraudulent ones are touting and brandishing brand-new iPhones and Mercedes Benz keys and lots more. To them goes the catchphrases; school na scam, if I no get money I go do blood ritual, if you no get money I no fit shift my pant for you, etc.
Perhaps, ASUU and the Federal Government never envisioned this, but fact is that they all acted as catalysts to usher in this colossal rate of moral decadence and failure.
Go into our tertiary institutions and see just handfuls, scanty number of students who thought it wise to resume. At this rate, our university dropouts might even surpass the number of university graduates, it’s a gory and abysmal situation even for our industries too, because they employ these graduates.
With frozen brains, all these hastily organised and frightening examinations are just tantamount to shooting oneself in the leg. Most students will fail while so many will cheat and some others will fulfil all righteousness and at the end the Nation suffers.
Last time I checked, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) can arise from harsh conditions and unexpected pressures of life, which in all ramifications this lingering strikes have towered undue monumental stressful pressure on students.
Take away crime from the youth then you have solved more than half of your crime related problems.
To think and digest the fact that, a lot of young adults discovered different criminal ways of amassing wealth leaves me no choice than to weep ahead for the future of tomorrow.
No, education is not for formality, the Federal Government and the academic unions should stop feeding the wrong impressions to sprouting minds of students, if not ’Shakarua’ might be a devilish saint in the near future.
Allwell is a concerned Nigerian
