What else do we need to see before we believe that we don’t have anyone to cry out to, fight with, or even be our hope?
Two things happened over the weekend that explained clear how dualism exists in Nigeria. First, the gap between the so-called “elites” and the masses is so wide that you can’t imagine these two people living and sharing a country. It is a clear call for us, the less privileged children, to have sense and redirect where we burn our energies and pursue a realistic future.
First, when airline operators announced their resolution to stop operations on May 9 due to the ever-increasing prices of aviation fuel, we thought it was time for them too (elites) to feel how discomfort Nigeria can be and how a malfunctioning Nigeria is not suitable for anyone. But our curiosity got punctured when we woke to the news that the operators had suspended the planned stoppage of operations. Why? How? We only have one answer – it is something that has to do with them (“elites ” or “big men” if you like). They don’t deserve humiliation. On the contrary, they deserve a swift response to what affects them (even behind closed doors). They are the true Nigerians.
How do you expect an Atiku, Tinubu, Moghalu, Wike, Amaechi and the rest to campaign without air transport? Osinbajo will undoubtedly use the presidential fleets. So he’s a bigger boy.
On the hand, ASUU announced the end of their warning strike of three months with another three months of strike ( it doesn’t even sound logical). How can you go on strike while on strike? So it is another painful morning for the children of the poor and their parents.
It is high time we understood that to survive in Nigeria with these same elites; we must go beyond being their praise singers or political foot soldiers for actualizing their political dreams. We must understand that our unborn children deserve much more than we have.
Our schools have been closed for a quarter of this year, and we’ve braced up for another quarter to go unaccounted for. Unfortunately, given the political atmosphere looming for the next general election, the ground is set for them to cultivate many young, hungry people for political thuggery with the help of our lecturers who never see sense in keeping us in school to shape us for the future.
My dear children of the masses, our lives and future are not and never tied to any politician. Therefore, despite our condition, we can dream and aspire just like their children. What we need is to focus and keep building in ourselves.
Let’s equip ourselves with relevant skills. The certificates ASUU and the Federal Government of Nigeria are denying us are becoming irrelevant on the global stage. Yes, education is good, but there is no specified timeframe for it. We can build ourselves before going back to classes. So, let’s endeavour to show that we’ve not only come of age, our senses, too, have come of age.
Hassan Ahmad Usman writes from Lafia, Nasarawa State, Nigeria. He can be reached via basree177@gmail.com.
I believe that Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) should join the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) in solidarity. An injury to one is an injury to all.
I recall that an affiliate union embarked on industrial action during the military regime. I can’t remember exactly which, but the NLC joined in a solidarity move.
After some time, without a positive response from the government, the labour union directed all other affiliated unions to join. Thus, the PENGASSAN, NUPENG, NURTW etc., joined. Before you can say UTAS or PANTAMI, the nation was halted.
No flights were flying, no taxis or buses plying any road as fuel was absent, etc. This forced the government to give in to the demands of the workers.
I believe this is the only strategy that the politicians will understand. The NLC should initiate the process and start preparing for the mother of all strikes in solidarity with the ASUU.
Malam Muhammad writes from Kano. He can be reached via meinagge@gmail.com.
The President of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), Asefon Sunday Dayo, says the association will block all airport roads in the country, as a result of the government’s inability to end the lingering ASUU strike.
Asefon made this known in a press release on Facebook on Monday, May 9, 2022.
This is coming after the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU ) extended their ongoing strike to 12 weeks. ASUU has been on strike since February and cited negligence on the part of the government as the reason for the extension of the strike.
According to the NANS President, the extension of the strike is a total declaration of war by the Federal Government against the university students in Nigeria.
“Having exhausted all windows of constructive engagement with the government, I, on behalf of the national leadership of NANS, therefore, declare National Action from tomorrow 10th.
The National Actions is tagged “Operation Test Run”. Operation Test Run shall be held in all the 36 states of the Federation. Federal Roads across the 36 States shall be occupied for a minimum of 3hrs. The Operation shall be a precursor to a total shutdown that will be decided during our Senate meeting/pre-convention on Saturday 14th May 2022. Our decision from the pre-convention shall be binding. The action shall be total as the extension of the ASUU strike is a direct declaration of war by the Federal Government against university students in Nigeria.” He wrote.
He added that the association will subsequently block airport roads across the country and disrupt party primaries amongst other things.
“Our proposal to our congress on the 14th shall be total blockage of the airport roads across the country and total disruption of political party primaries, blockage of the national assembly until they are committed to passing legislation banning public office holders from sending their children to university [sic] abroad.” He stated.
A well-known social media activist and lawyer, Abdu Bulama Bukarti, lambasted the Buhari administration over the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) strike.
This came as ASUU extended its ongoing strike by three months due to the government’s poor handling of the issue. Also, Bukarti’s remarks surprised some as he had been publicly criticising ASUU on its resolve to strike.
ASUU President, Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke, had announced Sunday at the end of the Union’s National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting, which was held in Abuja, that the strike had been extended by three months.
Bukarti, known for his stern opposition against frequent strikes by ASUU, said that Nigeria has failed to mitigate the menacing issue of strike by ASUU because it does not affect them (the elite) or their beloved children.
In a Facebook post, Bukarti lamented that the government “never hesitate to move on putting the strike by the Airline operators to an end because it has [a] direct effect on them and their children. But since [the] ASUU strike has no direct or indirect effect on them and their children, they failed to solve the problem.”
The Daily Reality reported that ASUU suspended its nine-month-long strike in 2020 after reaching an agreement with the Federal Government. Still, a year after, the government is yet to fulfil its promises to the union.
The ASUU strike has been described as one of the most lingering issues paralysing Nigerian universities, leading to the delay in students’ graduation, deterioration of the educational system and promulgation of serious social vices across the country.
Not only that, many people argue that the strike has destroyed the future of many promising youths, including both university students and their lecturers.
It is interesting to understand the divine marriage between a country and its citizens, specifically between Nigeria and Nigerians. In such a marriage, no amount of lives lost puts asunder. The mysterious marriage keeps producing low-quality products who believe eliminating half brothers will better their lives. Nonetheless, the marriage produced the golden voice of the continent that was, however, eliminated by the products of his mother.
The first army General who coordinated the marriage affair was also eliminated by the same products. Many more military coordinators in charge of the Nigerian marriage were eliminated. The latest were the homemade healthy transition of General Sani Abacha GCON; the prison made transition of MKO Abiola with General Shehu Musa Yaradua, and the contagious transition of President Umaru Musa Yaradua GCON. Yet, the marriage stands. It was only death that did them part.
A three-year civil war could not put asunder. The Ojukus were forcefully retained for the survival of the marriage of interest that occasionally accepts religious and tribal killings and hailing such acts by pardoning popular champions like General Zamani Lekot of the Zangon Kataf crises by the IBB regime and rehabilitating others for communal reintegration by the Buhari regime. These are sincerely done to sustain the cracked marriage until death.
The emergence of popular movements like Boko Haram, IPOB, Kidnapping, Cattle rustling, Herdsmen, Bandits, and Terrorism move to ensure the marriage failure. Still, the lifetime Unity in Corruption among the children of the marriage, which recently pardoned Joshua Dariye and Jolly Nyame, is stronger than the distraction of the popular movement groups that also exploit brothers of the same marriage.
While Unity in Corruption ensures poor education for brothers and sisters of the same marriage, BH went on destroying primary and secondary schools. They also vandalized electricity supplying poles and transformers to complement Unity in Corruption’s idea of rural electrification. IPOB, in its territorial states, declares Monday as an additional weekend while Kaduna officially declares Friday as the beginning weekend. In their territorial states, Bandits know all the army free zones where they peacefully operate without stepping on army toes. Cattle rustlers also know where there are no cattle, and so, instead of taking away cattle, they take the lives of entire villages that provoke them by not keeping cattle, their needs.
Nigerian lives are not safe on the road, on rail and at the airport. One finds it difficult to comprehend a passage in which children of the same mother kill within the home. Yet, the marriage stands and keeps producing children. Everyone identifies with the mother in a polygamous family and blames half brothers. In the Nigerian case, there is only one mother with several tribal lands. It seems only the Fulani have no land. Yet, the Fulani also join the powerful elites’ movement of Unity in Corruption. Under the same mother, the socio-political and economic status becomes the dividing line. The certified children that form Unity in Corruption blame the Almajiri for retrogression.
Then, the most disturbing effort of closing universities to seek the attention of the I Assure You Regime by the educated class that formed ASUU appeared with the support of their supporting staff of SSANU and NASU to seek revitalization. ASUU believes closing universities and sending brothers and sisters home will pain Unity in Corruption. It indeed doesn’t. Instead, ASUU complements Unity in Corruption in denying access to university education and actualizing BH’s mission while in self and family hunger. While most state universities in the north religiously observe the ASUU strike, some state universities in the south graduate students. Yet, the marriage stands till death do us part.
Considering the time, the response of the previous regimes, the regime of assurance with less action, and the possible incoming regime, ASUU ought to have a comprehensive retreat, call off its hunger strike, restrategize and declare regime change in Nigeria with the support of SSANU, NASU, Colleges, Polytechnics, NUT, students, parents and good citizens.
All Nigerians are deeply involved, and all political and armed movements are sponsored either to sustain Nigeria’s marriage for sponsors’ personal gain or to put asunder. With all the prophesies, projections and armed movements, the marriage of amalgamation remains. What Nigeria needs is the game-changer, and that changer can be found in ASUU. Nigeria needs focus and determination. ASUU must go into governance en mass. Otherwise, one or two members hardly make a meaningful impact.
ASUU should simply declare for the office of the Federal and State University Visitors, Senatorial Districts, Federal and State Houses of Assembly in the 2023 general elections and work with SSANU, NASU, Colleges, Polytechnics, Monotechnics, NUT, students, parents and good citizens. Nigeria must be saved. We remain Nigerians till death do us part.
ASUU must retain its strong UTAS team and set in motion its national planning and enforcement team, policy enforcement team, economic team, company revival and creation team, employment creation team, national security management team, education monitoring team, patriotism enforcement team, salary and pension enforcement team, manufacturing promotion team, local and international lobby team, Crude oil and refinery enforcement team, action or resignation enforcement team, among others,
Let’s use our hunger to save our country. With ASUU, SSANU, NASU, Colleges, Polytechnics, Monotechnics, NUT, students, parents and good citizens, Nigeria can be saved.
Let’s save Nigeria till death do us part.
Dr Abubakar Mohammed Gombe wrote from Gombe State University. He can be reached via amgombe2@yahoo.com or +23408060839578.
The management of Kaduna State University (KASU), Kaduna, has decided to back out of the ongoing strike embarked upon by the Association of Staff of Universities Union (ASUU) as the resumption date for academic activities is announced.
The resumption notice, which is contained in a statement by the institution’s Academic Secretary, Barrister Abdullahi Zubairu, said that “the University will continue its academic activities for the Second Semester, 2020/2021 Academic Session on Monday 9th May 2022”.
The Daily Reality learnt that the management has decided to resume in order to avoid stoppage of salary from the Kaduna State Government. The ASUU Chapter in KASU may likely clash with the management about the new development in the institution.
Recall that ASUU has condemned the Federal Government’s handling of the negotiation on its demands and nonchalant attitude towards the ongoing strike.
Popularly known as Rema, Nigerian singer, Devine Ikubor, has appealed to the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, to call off its two-month-old strike.
The 21 years old Afrobeats singer made the appeal on Monday, April 18, 2022, on Twitter.
“ASUU, since dem give me admission I neva start school o, e don do nau “, Rema tweeted.
Rema was reportedly admitted to the University of Lagos in January and has not been able to assume school before the strike’s commencement.
ASUU has been on strike since February 14, 2022. The Federal Government’s failure to implement the 2009 agreement and not accepting the University Transparency and Accountability Solution, UTAS, as a payment platform are among the main reasons cited by ASUU for the industrial action.
Nigeria’s Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige, is set to declare his intention to contest the 2023 presidential election on Tuesday.
This is coming amidst the two-month-old strike embarked on by the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU.
Ngige, who has failed to resolve the lingering impasse between ASUU and the Federal Government, said on Saturday, April 16, 2022, that God has spoken to him regarding the presidency, and he will not disappoint his supporters.
“The period of Lent ended last night; throughout the period, we communed with God. We did spiritual exercises and fasted. We talked to God and his angels, and God has talked back to us. God has spoken to me. I want to assure the people that I will not disappoint you,” he stated
Ngige added that he has the support of the trio of the APC, PDP and APGA in his ambition.
“This journey is not for the APC alone. Our brothers and sisters in PDP and APGA are in support. They know that I am more qualified than any other person from the South East. They will support me,” he said.
However, Ngige’s intended declaration does not go well with many, especially students who have been held at home by ASUU’s strike, which the Labour Minister has failed to resolve.
Maymunat Suleiman, a final year student of Chemistry at Federal University Lokoja, expressed her dismay regarding Ngige’s presidential bid during an interview with The Daily Reality.
“A presidential candidate who doesn’t take education seriously. These politicians only care about themselves and their families. I don’t see myself voting for that kind of candidate,” she said.
Another student, who preferred to remain anonymous, described Ngige’s presidential bid as a joke that should not be taken seriously.
He further decried the minister’s poor management of the ASUU’s strike, which has kept students in public universities from school.
Campus-based businesses in and around Bayero University and Yusuf Maitama Sule University Kano have mostly closed following strike action by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), leading to the loss of multiple jobs amid the harsh economic situation in the country.
The strike, apart from terminating academic activities across the campuses of the Universities, has left the institutions desolated as the absence of students grounded business activities to a halt.
A cross-section of petty traders, okada riders, restaurateurs, typesetters and other campus-based artisans have complained about how the strike is taking a toll on their businesses, scuttling their means of livelihood amid soaring inflation in Nigeria.
Nigerian public universities have been on industrial action since 14th February 2022 to pressure the government to fund the universities and settle some outstanding issues as contained in the 2009 Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) and 2020 Memorandum of Action (MoA) as negotiated by the Union of the University teachers and the Federal Government.
Why is ASUU on strike?
The university teachers signed an agreement with the Federal Government of Nigeria in 2009 for the revitalisation of public universities, which will enable the ivory towers to access 200bn annually for six consecutive years. The FG reneged as it only released once in 2013.
Government’s inability to implement other issues of 2009 MoU and 2020 MoA, such as salary upward review after three years relative to the strength of naira-dollar, payment of Earned Academic Allowance (EAA), etc.
The continued use of the controversial Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS) did not capture university peculiarities and refusal to accept ASUU’s alternate payment system called University Transparency and Accountability Solution (UTAS).
Another point of concern by ASUU is the proliferation of universities by the federal government without adequate funding for the existing ones, which the union argues will further jeopardise the entire Nigerian public university system.
From warning strike to “extended” warning strike
The university dons have completed a 4-week long warning strike in an effort to press home their demands for the Government to honour the agreements. However, after a series of talks between government delegations and the leadership of ASUU, the union extended the warning strike by another eight weeks “to give the government enough time to implement the agreement”, according to ASUU President Prof. Osodeke.
Equally, meetings between the minister of education and the leadership of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) did not yield the resolution of the bone of contentions.
Businesses disrupted, livelihood lost
As the industrial action continues, its effect is taking a toll on businesses and vocations on and around the campuses, with many business owners facing bankruptcy. Although most businesses, such as petty traders, cafés, restaurants, typesetting and photocopying centres, barbing shops etc., have closed down, the remaining few yet to close narrate their harrowing experiences at Bayero University Kano and Yusuf Maitama Sule University.
Ummi Abdulaziz, whose shop in BUK could not sell goods of N1000 a day due to the absence of students, described the ongoing ASUU strike as unfortunate, adding that “The strike affects us really seriously. There are no customers now. There are no people around. We open our shop, but there are no buyers. We are adversely affected. Sales have drastically reduced or even stopped. I can’t even make 1k a day now…”
Ummi, who called on the Federal Government to meet up with ASUU’s demands, said the plight of students and campus-based business people should not be allowed to suffer for long. She urged the two parties to have “A discussion and resolve this problem once and for all.”
Another business owner who identified himself as Sarkin Noma Maitireda BUK said the strike had brought misery and deprivation to their lives as his sole means of survival was being threatened. He was thinking of moving out of campus to find ways to feed his family.
Maitireda further lamented, “Honestly, we are not happy with the strike. We are pained because of our business. Everything on the campus isn’t functioning now. We only sit down by our stalls and shops sometimes to even nap. It badly affects our lives negatively.”
He recalled nostalgically how he survived past strikes partly by leaning onto his savings and ultimately on support from family and friends, saying, “We used to survive on our savings, then we borrowed from friends and family. When the strike ended, and businesses normalised once again we repay our debts”.
He decried that the current situation in the country makes it extremely difficult for him to obtain any support from friends and family, saying “everyone is battling with his challenge.”
“We call on the Federal Government to consider their demands so that they resume their activities and our university to reopen.” He appealed as he narrated how he naps by his stall due to no patronage.
Adamu Aliyu, who used to rake N30, 000 daily on average through his stationery stall but now less than N1000, argued that business people suffer the multiplier effects of the strike more than other members of the university community, including students.
Adamu called on the Federal Government to fulfil its promises to the academics and observed that “the situation in the country today is very terrible. So, I call on the FG to consider the situation of the country generally and consider the students and campus-based businesses specifically.”
Mohammed Kabir of Chiroma Business Centre in BUK, whose typesetting and stationery business vicinity remain desolate, said the strike alongside soaring inflation in the country makes his survival as a father and a husband very difficult.
Narrating his challenging sailing through the harsh reality of the economy compounded by the ongoing strike noted that “it has been difficult for me to survive because before now we were feeding from hand to mouth because of the economic situation. Most of the materials we were using have skyrocketed because of inflation…and now strike….”
Kabir lamented further that, unlike previous university strikes where few works were available, currently, “Probably due to the economic situation of the country, everything stopped. Nothing comes.”
Kabir pleaded that in the interests of students and the nation, even if business owners would not be considered, the two parties should resolve their differences to allow academic and business activities to return to universities as soon as possible.
”As a matter of urgency, the Federal Government and ASUU should come together and have a dialogue to resolve the issue. For the interests of the students’ even if they won’t recognise us, business owners… FG should fast track implementation of the issues so that at least the strike can be called off”, he further stressed.
It is no different at Yusuf Maitama Sule University (YMSU), as academic and business activities are grounded following the declaration of the strike. Unfortunately, like students, most businesses on the campus have closed due to poor patronage created by the vacuum left by students.
Abdussalam Adam was among a few business owners that come around to open their business for a few hours daily but now is considering total closure.
His business centre that provides Café services, typing, printing and photocopying to students has been badly hit by the ongoing strike. As a result, his average earning of N5000 has been depleted to around N500.
A stranded business centre
“Seriously isn’t easy for us that have business here on campus. The strike isn’t affecting students alone. It affects us. When the students were around, there was much work to do. I used to make 5k, 6k a day but now ….since morning I am just having 500 naira with me”, he complained.
He stated that “If I have the opportunity to talk to the federal government, I would advise them to consider ASUU’s demands and resolve the issue. They spend more than what ASUU is demanding on their personal issues. Why not on universities?”
“New World Cyber Café has already temporarily disengaged its staff because of the strike, but they will resume work when the university’s academic activities resume’’ said Bitrus Monday, who operates the biggest cyber café at BUK.
Bitrus Monday, who decried that strike is becoming habitual in Nigerian public universities, stated that there is an urgent need for the parties to have dialogue that will lead to settlement of the burning issues soonest.
“We are negatively affected. They should help us settle themselves. They should have a round table discussion and sort things out. It is obviously becoming a yearly habit in our universities.” He said.
Food and vegetable sellers worse hit
Food-related businesses that serve the universities and their communities are currently facing unique challenges that differ from their past experiences during varsity strikes in the past.
Alonelyvegetableseller
Shamsu Haruna, whose famous Gurasa Joint at BUK serves hundreds of students, staff and other university community members daily with this Kano delicacy, appeared visibly hapless due to the destructive effects of the strike on his business.
Shamsu soberly recalled how busy and deeply engaged his staff were when students were on campus. He noted that more than ten people were fully engaged in full-time jobs in his Gurasa Business but now are rendered jobless because of the strike.
He reminded the relevant authorities of the ephemerality of power and authority should they fail to discharge it for the public good, adding that “Other powerful, influential people have gone so also the current leaders will go. But what they do now is what they will be remembered for. They should try and leave a good legacy. They should consider the situation of the country and resolve the problem.”
He further noted that although members of non-teaching university staff are not on strike, his business has lost over 85% of its customers, expressing that “As we are in a very difficult situation because if you consider the market, we’ve already lost over 85% of our customers. This is not a small loss in business. We pray that God intervene in this situation… But Federal Government and ASUU should remember that life is transient.”
Restaurateur Fatima Ibrahim owns Al-Khairat Restaurant and has been in the campus-based food business for years, but the current strike is giving her a hard knock.
The strike is painfully touching for Fatima as her once-booming food business is struggling to recover after a near-death experience occasioned by the corona pandemic lockdown. “I used to go to the market to supply foodstuff on a daily basis, every blessed day, but now we go to market once a week. Unfortunately, after you prepared the food, there were no customers. Sometimes you sell, some other times you dispose of it.” she noted, adding that “FG and ASUU should please sympathise with the students and us to solve this conundrum so that they shouldn’t jeopardise the future of the students.”
Similarly, at Medinat Restaurant, the disturbance of the peace caused by the lingering university academics’ strike is making resilient Medinat Mohammed have sleepless nights. Her narration reverberated unpalatable experiences by other business community members of the university since the commencement of industrial action in public universities.
Adesertedrestaurant
”I used to cook 4-5 mudus of rice and prepare other varieties of meals, but now half mudu doesn’t finish a day. No students. No teachers”, she bemoaned
Determinedly tenacious, Medinat said of her over 20 years of experience in the business, this is the most devastating strike she experienced, alluding to the spillover effects of coronavirus pandemic lockdown “Sometimes we take a loan and after the cooking children will eat, and we (staff) too eat from it and pay transport…for over 20 years selling food, this strike is the worse because we did not recover fully from corona lockdown. It is only through the grace of God that we survive.”
She appealed to the Federal Government to settle critical issues it had earlier agreed on with ASUU so that normalcy return to the university campus.
Unlike other businesses, vegetables and fruit sellers are the most hit, languishing in their anguish due to the perishable nature of their supplies. Their harrowing experience cannot be understood entirely from the outside as they had already lost some quantity of their goods the very first week students deserted the university as explained by Alh Isah Gurgu Maikayan Miya, “With this strike, our business was completely put to a halt, completely grounded. Things have turned off. Our reliable customers, students, are no longer on campus. Academic staff no longer come. Some vegetables decomposed the week the student left because we brought them much and no buyers. So to get our daily meal now proves to be extremely difficult.”
He sadly revealed how he is now making an average of N1000 a day which is far below his average daily sale of N10000 before the strike, which according to him, “cannot cater for my family needs.”
He urged the Federal Government and ASUU to “please sympathise with students and we business owners”.
