Nigerian students on Tuesday called on President Muhammadu Buhari’s regime to meet the Academic Staff Union of Universities’ demands and end the union’s protracted strike.

Victory Adebowale, a student, said the extension of the ongoing strike was disheartening, saying that the strike had lasted for too long and had affected Nigerian students negatively.

According to him, the regime and ASUU have had enough negotiations within the last five months, adding that the extension would further subject students to depression.

Mr Adebolwale said that embarking on strike tended to keep students in school for more than the estimated period of the academic session.

“Our house rent expires during the strike, and most landlords do not care. Some students might lose interest in academic activities following the Yahoo-Yahoo trend, which is now rampant in society. They might, at the end of the day, see schooling as a waste of time and that schooling is a scam,” he said.

Another student, Ruth Essanse, said she was not affected by the ongoing strike because she was on an internship.

She said that the extension of the strike by the union was to give the regime and ASUU enough time to deliberate on possible ways of solving the issues of the strike.

Ms Essanse urged Mr Buhari’s regime to sign the 2009 renegotiated agreement to improve universities’ teaching and learning outcomes, saying that the ongoing strike was due to a lack of attention on the universities.

James Mutudi, a student, said extending the strike was to draw the attention of stakeholders and the regime to meet ASUU’s needs. She said the industrial action affected students and lecturers, adding that many lecturers had resorted to menial jobs to provide for their families.

“I feel so sad spending an extra month after the five months’ strike. The government has failed us. They don’t care about our future and educational sector,” Mr Mutudi said.

He, therefore, advised fellow students to use the strike period for skills acquisition or business rather than staying idle. Mr Matudi is currently an apprentice bricklayer.

Hope Opomu, also a student, pointed out that the reason for the extension was that the Buhari regime was adamant about meeting the demands of ASUU.

“I won’t blame ASUU for extending the ongoing strike by four weeks if their demands were not meant,” she said.

Ms Opomu added that the strike was extended to give Mr Buhari’s regime time to pay salaries and meet other ASUU demands, adding that the extension was to the detriment of students’ future.

She added that the strike was a major setback to academic activities, hindering students from graduating at the specified time.

Ms Opomu advised students to endure and join hands together by protesting and ensuring that the Buhari regime met ASUU’s demands. 

(NAN)