ASUU STRIKE, A WAY OR A WAIL?

If God has appointed 50 years to man, Nigeria education is ready to claim 33 years out of it.

One could imagine how many years he has remaining on earth to attend to other things. I started this learning race long time ago. Some started with Prep (as was called) which metamorphosed into Nursery, primary as well as secondary school. Because I had attended public schools all my life, I have had delay caused by strike action (s). This thus, added extra year (s) to a single class. There were some persons who were denied the right to education in some regions that saw education as enigma. Those ones were not permitted to start school until they had performed certain rites to prove they were mature enough and could withstand the demands of education. For instance, Chris my friend told me that one of the early signs to prove readiness for school in his hometown was if the interested child could trek to and fro the school without complaining of body aches. Different localities would have their different signs (determinants) I guess.

The strike action which the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) exercises to uphold academic excellence across the country has become detrimental to students who were affected by the above situation. The saying that education has nothing to do with age” is seriously affecting our dire need to jump out of social and mental unconsciousness. I think it is better put as ‘learning has nothing to do with age’. Education which is time-bound may not be attainable at certain age because we still want to believe that there is a best time for everything. I noticed that the commitment I put to education ten (10) years ago had declined in intensity and lifespan because as it stands, there seem to be many responsibilities (callings) that preoccupy my mind than it was. It thus makes me wish I was through with a degree three-four years ago.

Ladies in this category suffer the consequence more. Let us assume this consequence together. If a lady gained admission to study a four year course at the age of 20, her favourite desire would be to graduate on time. In that light, ASUU strike intervention in the process might be less needed. Also, ladies affected by this drawback, had resorted to unplanned marriage. Some of them had bestowed their earthly ambitions on their children born and unborn since time has caught up with them. (My children will go the rest). So, the much that this union’s intervention brings to people in this category is setback. ASUU and the Federal government should therefore consider a speedy education even though with limited facilities and unconducive learning environment as some persons may be paying for that delay with their lives. Nature gives destiny and destiny, we are made to believe cannot be denied but even nature is time conscious and we still want to believe that there is a best time for everything and delay is dangerous.

They should realize that strike action has proven not to be effective means of upholding academic excellence. It has been the strategy since time immemorial yet seems to be causing more harm than good. It is like the case of a mother who goes out to fetch food for her famished child. She finds herself in a party where meal of different kinds is being served. After the woman is given a plate of jollof rice she is not contented so she pushes harder to the center of the party until she lays her hand on five different kinds of the meal. She then returns home happily with the expectation to fully satisfy her hungry child but the child had died of hunger before she had returned. From this scenario, the woman indeed loves her child but the calculation is wrong. Imagine if she had quickly returned home with the first food she got may be her child would not had died. So timing is very important and the union should be mindful of the effect (s) of its ‘love’ for the students. Devil is seriously devising evils through this impediment (ASUU strike).

For it has come a time ‘Nigerians’ should be made proud instead of ‘Nigeria’. We hear, our artistes, artists, authors, business people, athletes and other image builders conferred the status of making Nigeria proud in the eyes of other nations. We ‘Nigerians’ sit sometimes before a television set to receive this news in acute hunger and strife. I think more concentration should now be given to ‘Nigerians’ than ‘Nigeria’. ASUU and Federal government should reflect on the effect of their intervention in education. They should give more considerations to students than learning facilities.

Ochai G. Isaac.

Makurdi.