A Letter To Nigerian Students As ASUU Strike Continues -By Abubakar Musa Idris

It is quite unfortunate and disheartening as the leadership of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) extended their suffocating strike for another eight weeks. This is another major setback for students of universities.

In the last five years alone, excluding the current year (2022), ASUU spent a total of 395 days, more than a full calendar year, on strike. This represents one out of every four days in 1,825 days. It has become a norm that a student going to study a four-year course, for example, in a Nigerian university, would spend four years plus X, where X is a variable determined by the total length of strike by Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).

This is quite unfortunate as students are constantly peg back by the incessant strikes. While ASUU and FG continue to play the game of our future, we shouldn’t just sit back and watch the game. Rather let’s find a way to be productive.

To the Nigerian students especially the final year, we all agree this has affected us, but let this be a blessing in disguise for us. Why don’t we use this eights weeks and do something beneficial to ourselves and our education.

The only thing you can do is to control what you can, which is your own action. And I know it seems very simple to say that but in reality, of course, there is a lot of frustration. So, what can we actually do to make sure that we don’t let the frustration lead to mental health challenges and feelings of depression? The answer is for you to take control of your actions and your time.

Additionally, you want to focus on continuing your education and skill acquisition in other ways.

There are many ways in which we can utilize this eight week, one of the best is to acquire relevant skills, rather than while away time on social media, we can learn skills relevant to our course of study and improve our capacity and also get certification which we can add to our CV.

Sites such as udemy and Alison offer free courses which students can fully utilize to their advantage.

Students can also engage in volunteering works and internship. This is a great way to build up your capacity and gain necessary work experience before graduation. Today, most employees are looking for workers with relevant experience and engaging in volunteering works can boost your chances.

Starting an online business is also a great way to earn money during strike. The reality is that anybody can start a business from home. All you need is to find the right channel and have access to the internet . The strategic use of digital tools and technology as an enabler is critical. Once you have access to the Internet and a smart device, you are good to go. Sites like up work and fiverr has made it possible for freelancers to work from home and serve millions worldwide.

Finally, I passionately appeal to my fellow students to shun from crimes of all forms and actively engage in fruitful activities.

The truth is that being on strike is disheartening, however, being positive about how you spin it could make the time really worth the wait.

Abubakar Musa Idris
Department of mass communication Buk
Abkidris99@gmail.com