Following the suspension of the 99 days strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) on February 7, 2019, Nigerians, especially youths, have taken to social media to voice their displeasure with the state of education in the country. While many students long to get back to campus, the circumstances surrounding the suspension of the strike seemed to have eroded the excitement of going back to school.

Surprisingly, there is some sort of unanimity in the trend of opinions shared on social media, as many people think the suspension is strictly for political reasons, as no part of the negotiation prioritises the interest of students.

With the general election coming up on Saturday, February 16, a school of thought thinks that the suspension is political, considering that about 22 million students’ votes will be lost if at the time of election, they are not on campus – which is their voting centres. This leaves many questions unanswered. To the political class, maybe, the life of the Nigerian youth is not any more important than the usefulness of their thumbs.

As it stands, ASUU has signed a Memorandum of Action (MoA) on condition that the government pays outstanding arrears and releases the sum of N25 billion (in April/May 2019) in addition to the N20 billion paid in 2018, after which government would resume full implementation of the MoU of 2013.

Going by the breach of agreement demonstrated by the government in the past, this implies that the probability of the government honouring this MoA is largely dependent on the outcome of the February 16, 2019 presidential/National Assembly election.

However, despite ASUU founding its claim on the theme of revitalisation of public universities, many students do not share this sentiment as some school of thought even suggested that the management of ASUU needs to be audited for the N200 billion received from President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration. To state the fact, despite ASUU’s regular strike action, the Nigerian university system is still in a deplorable state. Across boards, students’ campus accommodation facilities keeps deteriorating; laboratories are still underequipped; classroom conditions are still not conducive for learning; libraries remain dysfunctional and have been reduced to mere reading rooms. For these reasons, it is understandable that students who are meant to be the beneficiary of ASUU’s struggle now perceive the strike as a time-wasting exercise that keeps them in school longer than necessary.

In an opinion poll conducted on the subject matter, Hannah Olaniran, a postgraduate student of the University of Ibadan, observed: “The completion of my second degree is being delayed and I suspect that the strike suspension is a selfish strategy on the path of the government with respect to the upcoming election.” Sulaimon Agbaogun, another postgraduate student of the same institution shares Hannah’s thought. He took the comical approach when he said: “It’s a four plus four strategy.”

Therefore, with students (youths) distrustful of the government and unsure of the transparency of their lecturers’ struggle, they find themselves at the receiving end of the decisions of both parties. For obvious reasons, all that seems to matter to them is the attainment of their respective degrees. And that is quite understandable!

•Oluwamuyiwa Ogunjobi writes from Ibadan, Oyo State capital; Contact: 07036895297, phelicks93@gmail.com

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