Just while we were drowned in the ocean of melancholy and buried in the sands of uncertainty as a result of the nine months old ASUU strike; there comes glad tidings: “……the strike is suspended”.
This news is one that has made it to the headlines of various news medium, perhaps due to its significance to students. The news could be said to be one good news in this month of December after the terrible and horrible news which overwhelmed the mainstream and online media since the beginning of the month. The suspension of the strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) did not only bring vivacious smiles to the faces of students, but to everyone who has direct or indirect connection with the universities.
As heart soothing as the news may sound, however, the ASUU President, Prof. Ogunyemi, was quoted to have said that “the union would return to strike without notice if the government in meeting its part of the agreement reached with the university lecturers”.
The above statement of the ASUU chairman, I think, is worthy of note. It simply means the suspension of the strike is conditional and will resume if by any chance the government reneges on its promises. Should this give us hope or hopelessness?
If that is the case, I must without reservations plead with the federal government to redeem its promises made to ASUU so as to enable the child of the common man have a future. It was evident, the strike only added fuel to the fire of youth restiveness, increased rate of vices, among others.
One must commend both parties (FG & ASUU) for resolving to settle the matter once and for all. Perhaps the struggles of ASUU for the improvement of public universities have not been in vain.
We hope this will mark the end of incessant strikes which the ASUU is notorious for and usher in a new dawn where students will have undisrupted prescribed period of study.
Mahmud Yahaya,
Faculty of Law,
Bauchi State University,
Gadau
[email protected]
