Students holding a rally in support of the ASUU strike.
Many
undergraduates are hopeful that the over four-month-old strike by the
Academic Staff Union of Universities may be called off this week.
Some of them who spoke to our
correspondent on Monday said they look forward to resuming for academic
activities, especially since some of them were preparing for their
examination before the strike commenced.
A 400-Level Theatre Arts student of
University of Abuja, Miss Ronke Adefalujo, said she was excited when she
heard in the news that ASUU might call off the strike this week,
because, according to her, she was preparing to sit for her final
examination when the strike began.
She said, “I was to commence my final
examination in August, before the strike began in July. In fact, the
time table was already out, and I looked forward to graduating in
September but that was not possible.
“However, as soon as the strike is called
off, we might start with revision and sit for some tests. Maybe within
three weeks, we might sit for the final examination.”
An undergraduate of Federal University of
Technology, Minna, Tom Usen, noted that the signal that the strike
might end this week portends a brighter future for the country. But he
added that that was only if it would lead to the improvement of
education.
The 500-Level Geology undergraduate, who
said the institution was already in the middle of the semester before
the ASUU strike commenced, explained that he ought to have rounded off
his course by now if there has been no strike.
He said, “There is nothing I can do about
the extension of time I and my colleagues in final year had to undergo.
But I am hopeful that the ASUU strike might end this week.”
A music undergraduate of University of
Uyo, Miss Eno Ekere, who said there was a crisis in that institution
before the ASUU strike began, added that though she was hopeful, she
preferred to adopt ‘wait and see’ stance for now.
“It is good news, and I am excited. But
for now, I want to adopt ‘wait and see’ stance. In Nigeria, the way the
government treats education is not all that encouraging. Children of
commoners don’t really have any say,”she stated.
Indications emerged on Sunday that the
ASUU may call off the over four-month-old on Thursday. the National Executive
Committee of ASUU will meet on Wednesday night to consider the position
of the congresses of the over 150 public universities on the offer made
by the Federal Government to improve facilities in the institutions.
The union held a meeting with the Federal
Government team led by President Goodluck Jonathan on Tuesday in the
Federal Capital Territory.
After briefing the zonal coordinators on
the offer, the ASUU leadership had directed the local branches to
organise congress meetings between Friday last week and today (Tuesday).
This is to enable all lecturers to make an input into the action the union would take after its NEC meeting on Thursday.
However, feelers from most universities
that have organised their congresses revealed that ASUU would suspend
the strike after the Thursday meeting.
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