After raising the hopes of many Nigerian students, the meeting between the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) and the delegation of the federal government led by Professor Nimi Briggs ended with no agreement in place between the parties.
Driving the news
Reports by several Nigerian news outlets revealed that the top officials of the union were disappointed by the outcome of the meeting as the delegation of the federal government didn’t propose a new offer as expected by the union.
In fact, ASUU President, Professor Emmanuel Osodeke, told a Nigerian media house that the meeting was “no good.” He added that the union would speak to its members before releasing an official statement to the public.
Why does this matter?
Nigerian students had renewed their hope for an end to the strike that had lasted over five months when the ASUU President in a televised interview disclosed that the federal government had met one of its demands.
The other demands by ASUU include payment for the revitalization of public universities, payment of earned academic allowances, the renegotiation of the 2009 ASUU- FG agreement and improvement in the inconsistencies of the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System (IPPIS).
The implication of continued strike
The ongoing strike in at least 130 tertiary institutions comprising both federal and state universities has nearly halted the education sector in the country. Although few state universities that are not under the university body have continued their education, the prolonged strike has affected a great number of Nigerian students.
Sister university unions, including the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) and the Non-Academic Staff Union of Universities and Allied Educational Institutions (NASU) are also on strike.
Therefore, not only are a great number of Nigerian students trapped at home due to the ongoing strike by ASUU, other Nigerian students at university levels and beyond are unable to process necessary documents to further their education abroad due to ongoing strikes by NASU and SSANU.
Also, businesses that thrive on Nigerian campuses are completely shut, forcing owners to seek other sources of income in Nigeria’s inflated economy.