By Gabriel Dike, Bianca Iboma-Emefu, Ifeoma Udeogu (Lagos), Chijioke Agwu (Abakaliki), Felix Ikem (Nsukka), Emmanuel Adeyemi (Lokoja) and Bere Gyan (Jos)
The continued disagreement between the Federal Government and the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has prolonged the nationwide industrial action embarked by the lecturers.
The National Executive Council (NEC) of ASUU after a meeting on February 14, 2022 at the University of Lagos (UNILAG), Akoka, directed its members to down tools to protest the non-implementation of their outstanding demands by the Buhari administration. 
The meeting gave reasons for the strike to include government failure to implement the Memorandum of Action (MoU) signed with the union on December 23, 2020, non-signing of the 2009 renegotiated FGN/ASUU agreement submitted nine months ago.
Other reasons are forceful payment of ASUU members’ salaries and emoluments through the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS) and non-adoption of the University Transparency and Accountability Solution (UTAS), which government has used to shortage its members and non-payment of arrears of minimum wage.
As the strike enters the critical stage, the implication is that students in public universities have lost a semester and it might threaten the academic session if the Federal Government and ASUU do not resolve the face-off in good time.
In the past three months, ASUU has thrice rolled over the strike. On February 14, the union announced one-month strike, rolled it over on March 13 for another eight weeks and extended it to three months on May 9, 2022.
Worried about the prolonged strike, students and parents expressed fears on its consequences. A parent, Mrs Olabisi Ogundele, whose two children are affected, said the thought of them missing a semester after losing a session in 2020 is unimaginable.
She acknowledged that her two children in 300 and 400 levels at UNILAG are worried that “the strike is approaching the fourth month with the implication of a semester loss.
“President Muhammadu Buhari should personally engage ASUU leadership in discussion and address their demands. The Minister of Labour and Employment and Minister of Education have failed to ensure the reopening of public universities”
Pastor Stanley Ekeh is another worried parent: “Government officials are not in a hurry to end the strike because their children are schooling abroad or are in private universities. I am making a passionate appeal to those concerned with handling ASUU demands to put the interest of the students first.
“The university lecturers must also have a rethink and save the situation. Both parties must shift the goal post in the interest of Nigerian youths who have been at home for close to four months.”
A 400 level student, Federal University, Lokoja, Kogi State, Tope Samurai, also wanted Buhari to personally intervene: “Students are tired of staying at home.” He was supposed to have graduated last year but because of COVID-19 and last ASUU strike, he lost a session.
Alhaji Ibrahim Mohammed, a parent, said: “A government seeking for votes from the masses is playing with the future of the students. By this action, government has shown that the future of the students does not matter to them.” He urged ASUU and government to resume re-negotiation “so that students can resume as quickly as possible.”
John Emmanuel, second year student, Ebonyi State University, Abakaliki, said that the incessant strike has made the pursuit of education difficult and uninteresting:
“Students who are supposed to have graduated are now forced to spend extra year because of strikes. Government should resolve whatever differences they have with ASUU to ensure that students return to school as soon as possible.”
Mrs Chinonye Amos lamented that constant strikes by ASUU affect the parents just as it affect the students: “We are the ones providing the money for school fees, accommodation, feeding and other needs of our children.
“At times after paying for some of these things, strike will come. Before you know it, the accommodation will be due for renew. You will be required to pay for it again, while the student is still in the same level.”
Leonard Patience, 300 Level Mass Communications student, University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), said: “Imagine the feeling that I am still in third year. It is already four years since I was admitted to study a four-year course. Yet, ASUU and FG appeared not to be disturbed about the psychological effects the prolonged strike is having on students.
“On the way forward, government should hand-off and privatise all public tertiary institutions in the country to enable private groups and individuals manage them without interruption in academic calendars.”
Mrs Ukamaka Ani, a parent, said: “ASUU and FG has been disagreeing for many years now. The government has shown nonchalant attitude towards finding lasting solution to tertiary education crisis. Instead, they are interested in engaging on electoral activities, while students are at home idle and roaming the street.
“ASUU and FG’s actions and inactions towards resolving the lingering strike issue appear to be a deliberate attempt to sink public tertiary institutions in Nigeria. The whole situation has gotten to a disturbing and alarming point, hence something needs to be done urgently to stem the tide.”
Nnaemeka Aja-Eze, first year student, Department of Sociology and Anthropology, UNN said: “I feel very bad about the prolonged ASUU strike. It pains that I am just idling away at home while my friends in private universities go about with their academic programmes without any hindrances.
“Losing a semester is really bad and depressing as it has added another year for me to graduate. It means that in addition to other losses, the rent for my accommodation is also wasted.
“Losing a whole academic year will be traumatising. If eventually the strike is called off, many students may lose serious interest in their academics and the school calendar will also be rushed. The only way the strike can be called off is for the Federal Government to conclude negotiations with ASUU and meet the demands of the union.”
A 300 level student of English and Literary Studies, UNN, Joy Akanu, said: “I feel frustrated. I don’t think there is a better word to capture the strike because I am tired honestly of our leaders.
“We have leaders that don’t value education. We have stayed at home for over 13 weeks. Thinking about it gives me constant headache. It is so retrogressive. How can the government neglect something brilliant?
“ASUU’s strike has resulted to the loss of a semester. If the strike persists, another semester will be gone. We are pleading to the union and government to resolve the issues to avert the loss of a session. It’s really sad the way the government has refused to meet the demands of the union.
«It›s not fair to see how the government has constantly held us back and their wards get to study abroad. They move on with their lives and private universities and ‘the abroad’ it’s sad and depressing.”
Final year Philosophy student, UNN, Caleb Ndukwe: “Political big wigs, captains of industry have their kids abroad where they have access to qualitative education. There is little or nothing we can do about the semester lost.
“It is painful especially when students are still nursing the wounds of loosing a full year to COVID-19, we are loosing a semester to ASUU strike.”
Minister for Youths, State of African Diaspora (SOAD), Olasumbomi Iginla-Aina, noted: “Our young people are stranded. I am really concerned. I would appreciate it if the stakeholders would come together and reach a consensus on the way forward as regards the future of our young people.
“In the past, the government made promises that have not been fulfilled till date. Since there is a problem of trust, it would be good if the government would take the necessary actions to convince ASUU that they are willing to fulfil all their promises.
“We don’t want to compound our problems by having another indefinite strike. Nobody knows what is going to happen. The future is daunting for our young people.”
Mrs Sophie Alaoma, 49: “Nigerians will always have ASUU strike, there is no way ASUU won’t go on strike. It is a yearly event in Nigeria between ASUU and government. The students and parents suffer.
“It is a bad thing when you see students staying at home doing nothing. We want them back to school, let them go and finish their studies. The warring parties should go back to the negotiation table and resolve the dispute.”
Chisom Osumuo, a 400 level student, UNILAG, said: “I am losing a semester to the on going strike. You know you are at the edge of finishing and then something is holding you back.
“This is not the first time it’s happening. During COVID-19 and the strike last year, the whole of 2020 we were not in school. It was like extra or automatic year.
“This is not even close to what we have seen before. We don’t want to experience what we saw before. We don’t want the strike to get to that length again.”
Samuel Mordecai Temitope, 300 level student, Mechanical Engineering, University of Jos (UNIJOS), Plateau State: “I appeal to Federal Government and ASUU to come to agreement and allow students to go back to school because we are tire of sitting down at home. I am not doing anything with the expectation that the government and the union will reach an agreement to call off the strike but it has been prolonged unnecessarily.”
Achor Abimaje, a parent with children at UNIJOS and Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, Bauchi, Bauchi State, said: “My two children are at home and you know they eat a lot.
“If you buy half bag of rice they will eat it within a week. It is a sad development for parents. I am calling on government and ASUU to find a away out of the current challenges.”
A mother with three children in public universities, Mr. Iruoma Ofortube, told The Education Report that she is worried and concerned about the prolonged strike and the effects on the academic calendar.
According to her, the effects of the strike cut across so many things such as dragging the students backward when their colleagues in private universities are far ahead of them, noting “my daughter’s classmate in secondary school has graduated from a private university while she is still in 300 level.”
Ofortube, who is the founder/Executive Director of Thyroid Awareness and Support Initiative Nigeria, further revealed that she has paid the accommodation rents for her three children for the year and that when school resumes, she is likely to pay again and at high cost, “this aspect call for concern.’’
On social vices in the country, she is scared that children at home because of the strike may be victims of kidnappers, violence protest and others social vice associated with youths.
Said she: “The prolonged ASUU strike is causing a lot of harm at home and in the society. I had to engage my children with different skills to keep them busy. Many parents leave their children at home without knowing what they do. This is another dangerous aspect of the prolonged strike.”
ASUU Lagos Coordinator, Dr Laja Odukoya, on insinuation that ASUU may suspend the strike next month: “I don’t know the basis of the insinuation. Certainly, it is a speculation not based on facts.
“It is only progress at the negotiation table that can determine when the strike will be called off. What is certain is the strike will not last beyond when the objectives of the action are achieved.
“People forget that ASUU members are also parents and have their children too at home. In the same vein, about 50 per cent of our members who are also students pursuing their postgraduate programme without which there is no career progression in the Nigerian public universities are also at home as result of the strike.
“In addition to this, the government is waging a war of salvation against our members for three months now by denying us our salaries. So, who get pained the most?
“It is sad, disheartening and most unfortunate that rather than condemn the oppressor, that is, the irresponsible government and join our union in pressuring government to do the needful, they find it convenient to vilify the victim, that is our union.”