ASUU STRIKE

The ongoing Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) problem has reached a point where it can be compared to the Ogbanje-child phenomena for many Nigerian parents.

The back-and-forth of the crisis has wreaked havoc on the school system. The strike is having a significant negative impact on society and families. This is not about the rise in school fees, which has spread like a virus throughout the country's schools, whether private or public, from nursery to primary, secondary, and higher education.

It isn't simply a matter of increased food prices, which have made preparing three square meals difficult for many families. It's also not a problem of dropping out of school, because the strike is intentionally keeping students out of school. You don't have to connect it to unemployment or underemployment, which has put the economy in a difficult position.

Both the government and ASUU, have strayed from serving mankind in their displays of ego, despite believing that they are on the right track. However, their continual display of power has the potential to break education in the country. The more one listens to one side, the more one is tempted to believe the other is playing devil's advocate.

Regardless, despite interventions from stakeholders, religious organizations, well-intentioned Nigerians, and multiple rallies conducted by the afflicted students, the government and ASUU have refused to accept the people's demands.

The government and its officials have a habit of dragging their feet and refusing to take constructive action on educational issues. It's either too little or too late when it happens. The government's continuous casual attitude toward education makes it all too clear that it is not in the current administration's character to ensure that the people receive the greatest education possible.

Nonetheless, the government and its officials continue to reassure Nigerians that education is the lifeblood of a country and the key to its long-term security. What prospects do Nigerian youths have if the ASUU strikes continue? It is disheartening that the government's best attempts to promote education have only resulted in a decline in educational standards.

Nigerians who can afford it continue to send their children abroad to school, which is a national humiliation of epic proportions. Due to lecturers' strikes caused by incompetence and limited government support, products from our higher institutions are considered as half-baked.

Indeed, the foregoing is a sobering testament for a country that is supposed to be Africa's colossus and role model. In any case, it is the parents and society as a whole who suffer. The administration should do everything necessary to stop the strike since students remaining at home will have a greater impact on the country.