ASUU And The Students Search For Meaning -By Kareem Itunu Azeez

Few years from now, this country will catastrophically fall freely into abyss, unable to be raised by the way side of improvement globally, and the reasons for such, non would argue with me, understanding fully well, its the malnourished level of the educational system, roaming around hungrily and worst still, it could niether protest nor revoke its pitiable condition but rather, it could rocket down, angrily like a thunderbolt upon its victims, our great country.

It is no longer news, that the Academic Staff Union of Universities, have been on strike for a while now, with no current resolution, to the already decaying system education wise- and while, majority of this, front-runners for the endless strike, many students have even said, they seem to have forgotten most of the course codes before the strikes, some of our ladies are swiftly a month pregnant, those whose pressures have mounted, to get married, they are already discouraged about a system that doesn’t work again.

In countries like Kenya, Uganda, and even South Africa, a force fast becoming worthy to reckon with, in economic development in recent times, Uganda first, incomparable to Nigeria by many factors, can at least boast of a better country statistically in terms of current trends, as majority of Ugandans now have a school more comfortable than almost all government own universities in Nigeria, recently, a writtivism award was initiated,– upcoming African writers award, and across all of the submission received, the group posted 52% submission was from Nigeria alone, this only explains how desperate Nigerians students seems to be, seeking for an escape route out of their troubled waters.

While we fold our arms and watch, sitting at home and waiting for a meaningless meetings held on our behalf, for their selfish reasons, let us remember, even the curriculum been used already, is outdated compared to other developing countries, now years are been held back, in understanding even this miserable curriculum, no wonder hardly would you see any Nigerian graduate, even with best grades, do Anything tangible alone, look the records, even few days ago, some professors were demoted to lecturers level, stripped off their professorship titles, that only indicates a cycle that has been, from unseriousness and poor structurally and mentally.

Shola, my friend, from the polytechnic of Ede, Osun state, one of the best brains I know, jumps after trucks, as his way, to meet up, transportation in other to survive through education, he has worked as a labourer, in many building sites, as one of his surviving skills, fate brought us together at the windy plains of a factory, where we share experiences and look into the future, what it really holds for us, been raised in home where you are only born, but your surviving instincts you get through yourself, has pushed many of this youths, into struggling to live, to eat, and even pay dues for meeting up with academic and their educational needs, you graduate, and still finds it hard to secure anything worth the hustle, then your real search for meaning begins, and as a students of Nigeria during this time, including myself, am really sorry for our times.

Victor Frankls‘ man search for meaning holds a lot of psychological testament which todays university students needs to understand, from our undying faith of going to school, to the struggles we meet in school, lecturers seeking for stipends from students for marks, and as a Female, you might be lucky with few rounds of sex, for mark, little of them have been exposed, how many of them still currently enjoying this trade, like a cockroach beneath the sink of feaces. Then comes ASUU, who tends to fight for the welfare of Education, how ironic, because one who fights for quality education realises staying off education isn’t the best way, but one who understand halting education processes for his own benefits, then has no comradeship, nor patriotism in him/her, this can only happen in Nigeria, where there is excess of funds, but yet the people with fate keep wallowing in destitution, an average Nigerian can survive any condition till death comes knocking.

Frankl’s The truth is the Government intercede only when it affects them directly, and this isn’t oil prices or the NASS Salaries, nor presidential allowances, its not even medical allowances off the shores of Nigeria, so why would they budge, unfortunately, election periods are here again, we might be listening to meeting report for a very long time, I can only console my dear colleagues, to persevere the more, a meeting with no resolution might continue till heavens intervene, because this country no longer value true education.

For in a system such as ours, the less intake towards education, the larger the output, of hoodlums, and all other negative vices, take for example the early 1960s when the force of feces was on the rise in Nigeria, this was what gave birth to the early professors, who not only became country champion, but international warriors, now compare the progression since then, its all tomber en disgrâce –fal from grace thereafter, today’s products tells it all, and then the trouble for meaning by the students against their future, a life in Nigeria seems a tragedy, sometimes a tragi-comedy, for the ones who meet grace and never fall to the floating gasses of Auschwitz, the today’s Nigerian Auschwitz

Its now a daily routine below bridges in Lagos, streets along different states, youths with unprepared minds, forcefully out of school, for the time being, definitely engages into, dubious crafts, just to enlarge their pockets, since its now “get rich or die trying“, we now have lots of discouraging acts, going along the trepidation of our country, excess consumption of drugs, The tramadol effects, the codeine world, and alcoholism taking fatal control of a future malnourished through depending on what seems our right, EDUCATION for all.

How do average minds, search for meaning? The Nigeria university system will frustrate you, to A level, where you did wish to be gassed, and eventually floats towards the heavens, nonea kind of Vae victus -woe to the vanquished. Depression from unattended classes, and been poor, rather been born without a silver spoon, but in the course of time, we realise the relativity of all suffering, while some of us complain bitterly of penury, in our perjury, those who have more, were unlucky to lack even more, but in Nigeria as part of the loses we are counting, the best at minds do not matter, our society coupled with the way education is run, discourages and No longer support legal means to an end.

So far so good, today, the Nigerian students now are in between, carrying on, the troubles of having leaders who know but few about governing, and forgetting the moral which the dwindling education sector is supposed to inculcate in them, I am afraid of the future, especially growing up at this part of the world, and while other African countries keep making progress and also learning the meaning of selflessness, our country is making progress, while going backward. Elections are here once again like I have been emphasising recently, I hope the government won’t make the Nigerian youth look for other means to salvage a future falling behind. I mean a desperate alternative.

Kareem Itunu Azeez writes from Lagos State University.

Ikareemazeez@yahoo.com

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