ASUU Strike: A Setback To Education In Nigeria -By Shamsuddeen Suleiman Malami

Education is among the most important aspect of human life. With its presence, it resharpen the life style and attitude of our lives. Knowledge is the key that lead to development of every nation, state, community and society. Schools are been filled by students from various angles of our community with the aim that, those children will acquire knowledge, so as to make their future bright.

The setback of Education in Nigeria is getting worse. With the schools lacking learning materials, facilities and equipment and most importantly the wellbeing of the teachers which is very low. With this, the probability of lack of education in Nigeria is very high.

Academic Staff Union of university ( ASUU ) have been undergoing strikes since the 90s till date with the aim that the Federal Government will fulfil its promises concerning the development of the educational sectors. But this promises are always been pending by the Nigerian government.

In essence, this strike usually affected the students and left them with no option rather than to stay at home and wait for the call off. The reach negotiations been done by the two parties lasted for sometime and later another strike will pop-up. Then why its that the federal government couldn’t meet up the demand of ASUU?.

Ideally, if the government want to end this strike, it will decisively approve their demand. The money propose by ASUU can be settle in couple of years if the government wanted. Huge amount of money, Billion’s and millions of naira are been spend in doing project that are in relevant and has less value than the demand of ASUU.

This is educational sector and it suppose to be the top priority to the government. As reported, ASUU have been embarking on strike 15 times in 23 years, its a bad record and a dishonor for Nigeria government to let it happen.

A country that always said that it has wee money in account but still paid the senators a sum of 13.5 million as a running cost every month and also paid them a consolidate salary of about N750,000 monthly. While a professor that provide a lot of Degree holders, Msc and PhDs is earning less than N500,000 in a month, while lectures are earning less. This is not fair to be sincere. Those lectures are struggling for the students wellbeing. While other students blame the ASUU for the strike. Furthermore, the project been done by graduating student are not that kind much valuable as they are only kept for some years and later burnt. To my experience, the students are undergoing research, survey and findings to make the project a good one, and if the government will be supervising those project, it will definitely help in so many areas and aspect of learning and innovation in Nigeria.

Even the government knows that, the proposal made by ASUU are very important. And if archive, the educational structure will be OK and students will be acquiring good knowledge. But I don’t know why the government can’t fulfil this and terminate the strike.

In the Nigerian budget proposed by the president of about 16.4 trillion naira, the educational sector secured only 1.29 trillion. With this, the setback of education in Nigeria can not be counter.

As the ASUU embarked on one month strike, I call upon the Federal Government to not only reached agreement with the union rather, fulfil the proposal made by ASUU and let this strike end. That will make the students to appreciate them. Staying at home is not a solution, it sometimes influence someone to do wrong things. Please, (The Federal Government), you are the only hope for Nigerian students. Let this strike End.

Comr Shamsuddeen Suleiman Malami Bsc, is a youth activist, a political advocate and a content writer. Born in Zaria city, local government of Kaduna state.
E-mail: Pilotshams54@gmail.com