Some Nigerian students have decided to utilise the compulsory break created by the ongoing indefinite strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, to engage in acquiring skills.
Even though, it is sad that time is wasting over the unfortunate industrial action, Rachel Oworu, Segun Adeniyi David and Somto Chikezie hope that what they have learnt will remain useful anyway.
Somto Chikezie is the second of six boys and a 200 level student of Physics Education, at the University of Abuja.
Like the over two million public universities students, Somto feels sad about the ongoing ASUU strike. It is in fact his second experience of lecturers strike, which is cumulatively a loss of 14 months and counting, in his four-year long programme.
Not dettered, Somto decided to visit his mother’s kitchen. Barely two months into the ASUU strike, he can now cook and has been receiving a few requests to supply cooked food.
Somto’s mother is excited that her son could cook after all its not just a women affairs, but she is devastated by the prolonged ASUU strike.
Also read: ASUU berates NITDA over UTAS report
Elsewhere, Rachel Oworu, also a 200 level student studying Mass Communication at the Nasarawa State University, Keffi, decides to join her broadcast journalist father to the office, to learn first hand the actual media practice and not to wait till it is time for her internship. Beyond this, Rachel has also learnt baby-sitting.
For David Adeniyi, a 100 level Murtological Engineering student, at the University of Lagos, it is his first experience of ASUU strike.
David is the first child in a university from his family and he doubts that he will remember what he has been taught.
Some key demands of ASUU include adoption of UTAS payment system over IPPIS and the renegotiation of 2009 FGN-University based unions agreement
Talks at the instance of the Ministry of Labour and Employment, has since stopped even as ASUU insists the Government is playing politics with its demands, especially based on its stance against the professorship award to the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Pantami.
While the ASUU strike approaches 70 days, many wonder if government will adopt the “no work no pay” rule in an attempt to force the lecturers back to classroom.
(Editor: Terverr Tyav)
