During my pupilage in primary school, I could remember a song which we often sang while in assembly. Though then, I could not sing the song well but, I was able to grasp the core message that ‘children are the leaders of tomorrow’. My thought was the future was for all, unbeknown to me the future is not for the child of the common man. Unfortunately, with this current democratic dispensation, the saying is incongruent with reality.
If at all the child of the common man has future to lead tomorrow, today, the future is seized by the federal government and the ASUU. Considering the lackadaisical approach of our leaders when it comes to tertiary institutions, it is obvious they care little; this is because their children don’t attend public schools and tertiary institutions.
The incessant ASUU strike has prompted those from the middle class who cannot cope with the strikes to seek an alternative by sending their children to Cotonou, Benin Republic, Uganda among others where within two years or less one would graduate and be issued a certificate equivalent to that of Nigeria. Those who cannot afford are at the mercy of ASUU and the federal government.
This is not the first time ASUU is embarking on strike to air its grievances to the government, in fact, it is neither the second nor the third but, could be said to be one of the longest strikes embarked on by the union. This one is about eight months and academic activities in public universities have been suspended ever since. Students have been left to watch their future being suffocated at the hands of these two elephants.
I thought government would be proactive when approaching problems, looking at how the nation found itself in hullabaloo and pandemonium as a result of the EndSARS protests. I am very sure government wouldn’t want to see an End ASUU strike. The students are fed up staying at home while their future is in your hands. I am sure if our politicians’ children are in public universities, the issue would have been resolved since.
Although one should not apportion the blame only to the government but, it will take the lion share. This is because, if it had honoured the memorandums of understanding and other agreements reached, the strike wouldn’t have been as long as this. Both sides should compromise and stop playing with students’ future.
ASUU should know that its notoriety when it comes to strike is giving it a bad name in the world. Perhaps, ASUU should restrategise and adopt other means of airing their grievances if truly their struggle is for the improvement of public universities in Nigeria.
Mahmud Yahaya, Faculty of Law, Bauchi State University, Gadau ([email protected])
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