THE FATE OF UNIVERSITY STUDENTS IN NIGERIA

Sharon

It is no longer news that the Federal Government and ASUU have drawn the battle line and if intervention did not come from the court and certain individuals in the society, we would still be out of school. The October half-salaries paid to the lecturers came as a shock to everyone and demanded the immediate call for an emergency NEC meeting. This development caused panic in the minds of students and parents with fears of another strike but thankfully, ASUU sheathed their swords. 

Ayomikun, a student from the department of Geology said if ASUU happens to go on strike again, she is going to put an end to her education because she was on the verge of giving up during the last strike before they called it off, so should they embark on another strike, she is going to forego her education because she cannot allow ASUU and federal government turn her 4 years study to 8 years. “I have a lot of things to do than to always be at the receiving end of the aftermath of these people’s disagreements.” 

Another student who chose to stay anonymous said she is going to look for an escape route out of this country. In her words, “ This country is fucked up. This is the country I will see that they don't place value on education; they don't care about the future of the country. They are less concerned about the leaders of tomorrow. The same people that enjoyed free education and free food during their time are the ones making education a living hell. If ASUU happens to embark on another strike, I will " japa" from this hell that we call a country.”

Many lecturers have spoken out about the reason for the prolonged strike. They have not minced words in explaining all they had to go through during the eight months and the various suggestions that the federal government gave them. One of the most ridiculous suggestions was asking the management of the federal schools to increase the tuition fees of the schools. The Federal Government encouraged them that placing the tuition at almost equal rates as private universities would raise the funds they need to run the schools. Lecturers have said that the FG has no thought or sympathy for the students but they make it seem like the lecturers are the greedy ones who do not the progress of the students. 

In this country and at this particular time, it is neither easy to be a parent, student, or lecturer. It is not an exciting feat to be an admitted student of a federal university. While there have been calls to these two parties to shift their grounds and meet in the middle, the fate of the Nigerian student is in question. The unreliability of the educational system and the uncertainty in the labour market have made it hard for the average Nigerian student to believe that education is still as relevant as our parents, guardians, and tutors have painted it. The fate of Nigerian students hangs in the balance and is tied to the activities of every changing political season. A new government might be able to manage the crisis or not. School na scam started as slang but might end up holding all waters of truth if things are left to continue in the old fashion.