ASUU STRIKE: a hub of adventurism part 1

It did not come to me as a shocker when the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), declared on the 1^st 0f July, 2013 that they were embarking on an indefinite nationwide strike for failure of the government to keep to its end of the bargain. This particular strike action is not the tenth of its kind neither is it going to be the last. If you ask me, I would say that the ASUU strike has become the most popular form of strike action known to Nigerians today. Strikes have become second nature with the union since the government has formed the convention of constantly breaking any concord reached between the two parties.

At the receiving end however, of all these strike actions are the students of the various universities whose academics always have to suffer for the breach of agreement. Thus most of these students resolve to staying in school and doing nothing or simply going back home to wait, hope and pray that the demands of their lecturers would be met and they would be called back to their place of study.

Quite profoundly however I have discovered that although the strike period is usually a time for the lecturers to press home their demands and to rest from servile work, it is not so for the students. Majority of students view strike periods as not only a time to take a break from the rigors of academics but also a time to idle about in school or at home, whereas there is still much studying left to be done.

I have therefore put together the following tips to help you maximise strike periods so as to put you in top-shape when the strike is eventually called off.

Be Current

First and foremost, because of the epileptic nature of strikes, I want to admonish that students whose schools are on strike should ensure that they keep themselves abreast of the activities of ASUU and should be able to tell at any given point in time whether or not the union has been able to reach a compromise with the government. This can be done by constantly listening to the news via the radio, television or the internet and even the social media like facebook, twitter, whatsapps etc. You can also visit the official website of ASUU by logging on www.asuunigeria.org to get the latest from them. Another way to keep current is by visiting the websites of popular newspapers in Nigeria as Newspapers are one of the reliable sources of news on the activities of ASUU. For the Nation Newspaper you can log on www.thenationonlineng.net or www.sunnewsonline.com for the Daily sun Newspaper.

Being current will not only put you in a position to determine whether or not the strike would be short term (i.e. a warning strike) or long term (i.e. an indefinite strike) but it will also help you to know whether to stay in school and continue studying or not.

Be Academically up to Date

Contrary to what students usually do during strikes, I want to advise that strike periods should not be seen as a period to simply stay at home and while away time, rather it should be regarded as a time to settle down and ruminate over one’s academic performance in school. Where it realised that there are lapses or difficulties, one must create time to improve on those areas. This can be done by studying at least a material daily on the area of difficulties and possibly seeking help from classmates.

For students whose schools had already begun writing their examinations before the commencement of the strike, they must ensure that they keep reading and preparing for the next papers as though the school were still in session so that if the strike is eventually called off and exams to continue, one would not be caught off guard.