As someone who attended a University in Nigeria, ASUU strike isn’t anything strange to me and I know it’s the same for other people like me who also attended a Nigerian university. Infact, every Nigerian is familiar with ASUU strike, you don’t have to be a student before you know about it.
Currently, there’s an ongoing ASUU strike in Nigeria as it has always been every year and even though there are hopes that the strike will soon be called off, it doesn’t change the fact that the strike has been one of the longest the University union has ever embarked on, due to the fact that the strike has been going on for almost 8 months.
For Non-Nigerians that’ll be reading this post, let me explain what ASUU strike means
ASUU is an acronym for Academic Staff Union of Universities
Basically, it’s an association of lecturers in Nigerian universities
The union is known for always going on strike every year due to the failure of the government to meet up with their demands and this year, they’ve been on strike for almost 8 months, meaning that University students in Nigeria have been at home without going to school for almost 8 months.
The strike however, only affects all federal universities and some state universities whose lecturers are under the union, all private universities are not affected by this strike, although it is common knowledge that only the rich can afford sending their kids to a private university.
Due to this reoccurring ASUU strike, the number of years supposed to be spent by students in the university are extended.
Using myself as an example, I was admitted to study law for 5 years, but I studied the course for 7 years. It was during one of those reoccurring strikes that I learnt the art of makeup. I gained an admission to the University in 2015 and I didn’t write my last paper as undergraduate until 2021. Here’s a picture of me on my matriculation day
I wrote my last paper as an undergraduate and officially signed out of my university in November, 2021 after which I was supposed to proceed to the Nigerian Law school and spend a year before I officially become a lawyer
The signing out from the university is an event that all undergraduates look forward to. They are finally graduating after years of reading, assignments, tests and exams.
The graduating students will wear a white shirt that’ll be signed on by family, friends and even lecturers. Here’s a picture of what the shirt looks like before people sign on them with permanent markers.
Our lecturers didn’t release all our results till the ASUU strike started in February 2022 and due to the strike which is still ongoing, our results have been on hold till now.
Without having my results, I can’t be admitted to the Nigerian Law school and I can’t even get a corporate job. This means I’ve been stuck for almost a year due to the strike.
Like I mentioned earlier, the strike prolongs the number of years that students are supposed to spend in the university and presently in Nigeria, most students have resorted to learning a skill instead of being in school.
We can only hope that the government and the Union reach an agreement so that the strike can be called off and I can move on with my life.