Following the suspension of 99days strike by the Academic Staff Union of
\nUniversities (ASUU) on the 7th of February 2019, Nigerians, especially
\nyouths have taken to social media to voice their displeasure to the state
\nof education of the country. While many students long to get back to
\ncampus, the circumstances surrounding the suspension of the strike seemed
\nto have eroded the excitement of going back to school.
\nSurprisingly, there is some sort of unanimity in the trend of opinions
\nshared on social media as many people think the suspension is strictly for
\npolitical reasons and no part of the negotiation prioritizes the interest
\nof the students.<\/p>\n
With the National election coming up on the 16th of February, 2019, a
\nschool of thought thinks that the suspension is political considering that
\nabout 22 million students\u2019 votes will be lost if at the time of election,
\nthey are not on campus \u2013 which is their voting centers. This leaves many
\nquestions unanswered. To the political class, maybe the life of the
\nNigerian youth is not any more important than the usefulness of their
\nthumbs.
\nAs it stands, ASUU has signed a Memorandum of Action (MoA) on the
\ncondition that the government pays outstanding arrears and releases a sum
\nof N25 billion (in April\/May 2019) in addition to the N20 billion paid in
\n2018 after which government would resume full implementation of the MoU of
\n2013.
\nGoing by the breach of agreement demonstrated by the government in the
\npast, this implies that the probability of the government honouring this
\nMoA is largely dependent on the outcome of the February 16th 2019 national
\nelection.<\/p>\n
However, despite ASUU founding its claim on the theme of revitalization of
\npublic universities, many students do not share this sentiment as some
\nschool of thought even suggested that the management of ASUU be audited
\nfor the N200 billion naira received from the Goodluck Jonathan
\nadministration. To say the fact, despite ASUU\u2019s regular strike action, the
\nNigerian university system is still in a deplorable state. Across boards,
\nstudents\u2019 campus accommodation facilities keeps deteriorating;
\nlaboratories are still underequipped; class conditions still inconducive
\nfor learning, libraries remain dysfunctional and have been reduced to mere
\nreading rooms. For this reasons, it is understandable that students who
\nare meant to be the beneficiary of ASUU\u2019s struggle now perceive the strike
\nas a time-wasting occurrence that keeps them in school longer than
\nnecessary.<\/p>\n
In an opinion poll conducted on the subject matter, Hannah Olaniran, a
\npostgraduate student of the University of Ibadan stated \u201cThe completion of
\nmy second degree is being delayed and I suspect that the strike suspension
\nis a selfish strategy on the path of the government with respect to the
\nupcoming election\u201d. Sulaimon Agbaogun, a postgraduate student of the same
\ninstitution shares Hannah\u2019s thought. He took the comical approach when he
\nsaid \u201cIt\u2019s a four plus four strategy\u201d.<\/p>\n
Therefore, with students (youths) distrustful of the government and unsure
\nof the transparency of their lecturers struggle, they find themselves at
\nthe receiving end of the decisions of both parties. For obvious reasons,
\nall that seems to matter to them is the attainment of their respective
\ndegrees; and that\u2019s quite understandable.<\/p>\n