Students have mixed feelings regarding suspension of ASUU strike, yet future look bright

Some university students have said they have mixed feelings concerning the suspension of the strike embarked upon for some nine months by members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).
Some students told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) this
Tuesday in Lagos that they were happy about the suspension of the strike and
pleaded for a lasting solution so as to ensure a repeat does not occur.
Others stated that they had acquired new skills that would
help them in their future endeavors and were now ready for the fresh year.
Sunday Lucky, a student of the University of Ilorin, commented
that the unexpected break had been quite hard on him. “Some students who live
off campus had to leave their homes because they couldn’t pay rent,’’ he stated.
Lucky said, nevertheless, that he used the off-school period
to acquire a new skill for the betterment of himself. Another student, Gladys
Ajite, remarked that she didn’t expect the strike to last very long, but that
she spent the time to improve her online business.
Ajite, a student of Alex Ekwueme Federal University, Ebonyi,
also noted that the strike had benefitted her financially and would still
benefit her despite being called off.
“I have always been a business tycoon and now I can proudly
beat my chest that I am a successful crypto and online marketer,’’ she noted.
A student of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Chukwuemeka
Vitus, said he was quite happy when the strike was announced because of great
academic pressure and stress, but didn’t expect it to be suspended. “This
strike has made me learn new things though I have forgotten most of what I
learnt in school,’’ he remarked.
Vitus didn’t hesitate to add that even though he wasn’t
fully ready to go back to school, he was happy that the strike had been
suspended.
ASUU started a warning strike on March 9, 2020 and embarked
on a full-blown strike on March 23, 2020. It decided to suspend the strike on
Dec 23, 2020 after a number of apparently successful negotiations with the
Federal Government.
A number of the demands by the union that required serious
financial commitment included Earned Academic Allowances, revitalization of the
university system, upgrade of facilities among some others.
The Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, has decided
to call off its nine-month strike because it dawned on the leadership that the unfortunate
economic situation the country is in would not allow the government to meet
up with some of its demands.
The government, however, has in a show of goodwill and
understanding, already started paying part of the salaries of the university
lecturers, and has vowed to provide financial help for the academics to the
best of its ability.
There appears to be a constructive understanding between the
government and Academic Staff Union of Universities, which hopefully promises a
brighter future for the country’s academia.
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