A Never-Ending Cycle: How ASUU Strikes have Consistently Robbed Nigerian Student of Their Near Future

By Adesewa Adeyinka

For a Nigerian student, their academic calendar is never a predictable series of semesters and breaks but rather a series of uncertain start and stop sessions due to incessant strikes by the Academic Staff Union Of Universities (ASUU). Since its inception in 1978, the union has organized and carried out several industrial actions often spanning weeks and even months.  These strikes, intended for the government to conform to the wishes of the union has instead robbed generations of Nigerian students of their precious time.

An average student after battling a rigorous merit-based admission process finally gains admission only to end up being ensnared in a battle they never instigated. They have become victims of a failing system — One that allows its youth go for months without education.

Leaving the work force with graduates who have barely been equipped with skills to thrive in the professional world. ASUU an “umbrella” body for Nigerian students has become a source of terror for them. The biggest prayer for a Nigerian student is to never “encounter” ASUU strikes.

Most four year courses now span for at-least five to six years leading to frustration for the students. Nigerian students who were admitted in the 2019/2020 academic session for a four year course got caught up in a 9 months strike in 2020 and another 8-month strike in 2022, ultimately prolonging their graduation date for 2 extra years.

This isn’t a hypothetical scenario; it is the reality that many Nigerian students lived and are still living. The disruption isn’t merely about lost time; it is about the absence of stability in the system, the readjustments to academic rigor after months of idleness, and the academic “comebacks” that students have to struggle with.

Beyond lost time, the strikes take a drastic psychological toll on the students. After months of idleness, students get frustrated, anxious, and helpless. Students miss out on crucial employment opportunities, and those with plans of postgraduate study abroad have to put a pin on their plans. The feeling of ambition now crushed by a failed system, the sense of helplessness caused by an unstable system , in turn, have a drastic effect on the mental health of the students.

Like the saying “an idle mind is the devil’s workshop,” students’ inability to engage in productive academic activities makes them more likely to get into trouble. After a long strike, several students never bother or are unable to return to school because they got caught up in one mischief or the other. Some student start to think it is appropriate to be on the street in search of “greener pastures” where they barely earn stipends. Leaders of tomorrow have now become the menace of today, plaguing the society.

An equally appalling aspect of the strikes is the financial strains it places on students and their families. With extended stay, students are forced into menial jobs or idleness during strikes. The parents have to pay for extra years of upkeep, tuition and other expenses. Students have to pay extra for rent, feeding and transportation for extended periods.

The hopes of a near financially free future now crushed by incessant strikes. Parents and students have lost faith in the Nigerian public education system, leaning more towards the usually expensive private education and further widening the gap between the rich and the poor.

The union organized its first national strike in 1988 during the military rule and thirty-seven years later, strikes are still a recurring feature. Determined in its mission, the union has often reiterated that the purpose of the industrial actions is to compel the government into implementing better working conditions for its members.

For decades, there has been series of back and forth between the government and the Union over the government’s failure to implement agreement concerning university funding, lecturer’s welfare, infrastructure development and earned allowances. In October 2009, a negotiation team was set up for the union and the federal government. Its aims were clear — to reverse the decay in the university system, restore Nigerian universities through better funding, and ensure genuine university autonomy and freedom.

The government has often resorted to temporary solutions, placating the union for a short term which in turn makes the union further aggravated in the long run. The union has constantly asserted that their demands were legitimate and logical and yet there has been no substantive effort from the Nigerian government to implement these agreements.

While ASUU has often argued that the industrial actions were always a last resort , it has neither worked nor compelled the government to listen. This raises a question of whether or not these industrial actions are actually doing the union or the students any good.

While acknowledging the government’s effort towards sustainable solutions, it is clear that these are not sufficient. The need of the Nigerian students has called for meaningful dialogues and sustainable solutions. The government needs to honor its commitment to agreements and improved funding for the education sector. The responsibility is on the government to give due priority to the education sector of the country.

In the history of thievery, ASUU strikes are the greatest theft of precious time. It has successfully impacted the academic, financial, psychological and professional well-being of the parties involved. These disruptions have become too costly to the future of the Nigerian youths.

The importance of safeguarding the future of Nigerian youths can not be overemphasized. And so, the “never ending cycle” must be broken not only for the sake of the students involved but for the sake of Nigerians and the future generations to come.

There are no easy answers, but it has become imperative for both the government and ASUU to find a common ground that serves the best interest of the union, the government, the students and the general public. There is a need for more robust university governance and accountability from all stakeholders.

The government, ASUU and even the public have a role to play in advocating for a stable academic environment. The onus is on every individual to encourage and foster more sustainable education policies because the future of Nigerian generations of students depend on it.

Adesewa Adeyinka is a mass communication student of the University of Lagos