By Adejesu

It has become a norm in history for Academic Staff Union of Universities(ASUU) to cause a breach in academic activities in Nigeria, holding to the fact that Federal Government kept promising and failing them. This causes huge damage to none but Nigerian students, as this serves as a waste of time, causing negative effects on aims and ambitions of students.

Since 1999, if there was anything that has been very consistent in the Nigerian academic calendar of the Nigerian Universities, it is the ASUU and Federal Government at loggerheads.

Not long after Nigerians ushered in democracy, a government that promised to be for the people, ending military regime in 1999; that the students experienced a disruption in their academic pursuit which lasted for 5 months. In 2001, ASUU declared another strike for 3 months, owing to the fact that Chief Olusegun Obasanjo described Nigerian university lecturers as “a bunch of lazy and ungrateful people” and for reinstatement of 49 lecturers sacked in UNILORIN.

Another two weeks strike under Obasanjo administration again, was embarked on , on Sunday Dec., 2002.

Gradually, the act of ASUU causing a breach in the academic activities of Nigerian Universities began to leave it’s mark on the sands of time as this act continued as follows:

2003 – 6 months strike caused by unimplementation of the previous agreements.
2005 – 2 weeks strike
2006 – 3-day warning strike as at April 2006 which lasted for one week.
2007 – On March 26, which lasted for 3 months based on the previous reasons.
2008 – One week strike. Their demands: improved salary scheme and reinstatement of 49 lecturers who were dismissed at UNILORIN.
2009 – This time, it was for 4 months, from June until October.
2010 – 5 months. 22nd of July – January 2011.

Since federal government failed to honour it’s 2009 agreement to adequately fund the universities in the country and implement the 70-year retirement age limit for ASUU members, the union paralyzed academic activities again in Dec 2011 which lasted for 59 days and was called of in 2012.
2013 – July 1 – Dec 17, 5 month, 15 days strike.
2017 – Aug 17 – Sept 2017.
2018 – An indefinite nationwide strike on Sunday Nov 4, 2018.
2020 – 9 months strike.
2022 – Feb 14, 4 weeks warning strike. Demands: failure to execute MOU, payment of Academic staff allowance, review of the payment system and case of establishment of many universities for the country.

However, ASUU claim the FG owe 1.2 trillion to them and according to Dr Chris Minister of Labour and employment, FG have paid over 92 billion.

Can this stop history from repeating itself? For how long will this continue? Nigerian students are seen on the street in different states including the FCT, Jos, Ebonyi, Benin, Oyo, Ibadan, Calabar, Osun, Minna, and Awka just to mention a few; clamouring in response to the attitude of Federal Government towards ASUU’s demands.

READ ALSO: Uniben Students Protest ASUU Strike, Halt Activities Along Benin-Lagos Road

As of now, the minister of education explained that some of the stated items of ASUU in the 2019 agreement are unrealistic and unimplementable and ASUU has been duly informed. This the implementable document which has been drafted and submitted to the government will be signed by the FG and ASUU to put a permanent end to ASUU strike.

“We shall react louder and bigger across the 36 States and the FCT should the government fail to find a permanent solution to the issues of ASUU strike” NANS president said to the Minister of Education.

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