Africa’s most populous nation, Nigeria is witnessing another strike action by the country’s lecturers. This after a protracted disagreement over the ‘non-implementation’ of a December 2020 agreement reached between the lecturers and the government.
According to the President of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, Profesor Victor Osodoke, the action became necessary because all efforts to reach a consensus failed. The union leader also noted that the action would last for an initial period of four weeks.
Nigeria’s Many Histories of Lecturers’ Strikes, Disagreements
Nigeria is not new to strike actions after disagreements with lecturers on different issues such as funding, payment of earned allowances etc.
In August 2017, the lecturers declared a ‘comprehensive and total strike action’ over the non-release of funds for revitalizing universities, the lecturers then also noted issues such as non-payment of earned allowances as some of the reasons for declaring the action.
The action lasted five weeks as the union called off their action in September 2017.
In 2018, another strike action lasted for three months. The lecturers again accused the government of failing to live up to its promises on fund universities, earned allowances among others, the action ended in February 2019, after its commencement in November 2018.
The longest strike action in the last few years came in 2020 when ASUU went on a nine-month strike. Against the lecturers’ blamed funding of universities and functionality of the Integrated Payment Portal System, they argued that IPPIS negates autonomy for universities. They introduced a platform known as UTAS as a replacement for IPPIS, a platform accepted by the government after initial disagreements.
The latest strike of ASUU is coming one year and one month after it ended its nine months strike over issues of funding and allowances.
Before the national body declared a strike, the Obafemi Awolowo University branch for instance declared a strike over arrangements on disbursement of earned academic allowances.
The total number of days spent on strike excluding the current thirty-day strike in five years is 395. Thus, out of 1825 days in the five years under review (the five years excludes 2022), 395 have been spent on strike, more days than a full calendar year and representing one out of every four days.
Although the government has stated that it would look into the lecturers’ demand, the long history of mistrust and allegations of foul play muddies the waters.
Is ASUU Aiming to End Strike Actions soon?
The President of the Union, Professor Osodoke Victor, told Dataphyte that unless another alternative to its agitation is provided by Nigerians, they (lecturers) will continue to embark on strikes. He claimed that the only way to ensure progress for universities and ensure its affordability remains strike actions.
He further justified strikes with what the academics leader described as gains such as the advent of the ‘Tertiary Education Trust Fund’.
Continual Disagreements, Accusations of foul play as Students Suffer
With constant ASUU strikes, students are at the receiving end of the actions. A student, Temple Maduoma, told Dataphyte that the strike action is taking a toll on the quality of education received and has expanded the period of time meant for academic pursuit.
He noted that in his case, the action has affected his view of education. “Since I got to university in 2016, I have experienced strikes at least one month, each session. It has affected the quality of education, has not made it easy to learn because even when we resume, we are usually rushed, making us lose pivotal content and for us who want to compete at world standards, it is a bad one” he noted.
Another student, Lawal Adenike appealed to the government and lecturers to find amicable solutions, so students do not suffer excessively from the impact of such actions.
Already, the National Association of Nigerian Students has threatened to protest, slamming ASUU and the federal government for failing to resolve the crisis that led to the strike.