It is disheartening to note that a large number of tertiary institution students are currently out of school due to the unending strike action embarked upon by ASUU. According to ASUU, they previously disclosed that they will extend the strike by another two months as a result of their unmet demands by the federal government.
Disappointed with how the government is handling their demands, the Nigerian Labour Congress, NLC in a show of solidarity, has vowed to embark on a nationwide protest at the expiration of the 21-day ultimatum issued to them by ASUU to address their demands. The congress further disclosed that it would declare a three-day strike action if the federal government fails to resolve the issue.
The NLC which is known to defend and promote the rights of workers and other unions In the country, disclosed that its proposed solidarity protests was mainly to draw the attention of the government to the prolonged shut down of universities in the country. Did the congress just disclose that they want to draw the attention of the government? The government is fully aware of the shutdown of universities, but they chose to treat it with disdain.
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With the 2023 election gearing up, it is obvious that they are more interested in securing their interest, to the detriment of the future of Nigerian students. The failure of the federal government to keep up with its commitment and uphold its pledges to ASUU is what has led to so many industrial strike actions.
The government has failed to invest greatly in the educational sector, which has undermined the country’s human capital. Any country that recognizes the value of human capital development will invest appropriately in its educational sector. Rather than the government being proactive and responsible for the issues affecting its citizens, particularly in the area of human capital development, they are building more universities when they have not properly catered for the staff in the already existing universities.
Sadly, the future of young Nigerians is continued to be put in jeopardy by the government, with many of them currently roaming the streets, which has seen some of them contribute to the social vices in the society. One great effect of the ASUU strike on students is that as the strike lingers, it takes a toll on academic performance. When learning is stopped for a long period, the student’s reading and learning abilities will deteriorate.
The danger of this is that it will lead to a high rate of low-quality students in the country, which will affect the country’s human capital. The government and ASUU continue to be at loggerheads with an unending rift. The strike action is already becoming a severe phenomenon that has continually hammered the realization of Nigerian youth’s ambitions and dreams.
The role of education in human capital formation cannot be overemphasized as a properly educated society facilitates productivity and contributes toward the growth and development of the country, which also increases the country’s national income. It’s high time the government put an end to this incessant strike action by ASUU by meeting its demands.