ASUU strike regrettable, but opened new opportunities for us — Students

Posted by Ade Adeola Solomon

 

ENUGU—UNIVERSITY students have been forced to stay home for over two months now due to the strike action embarked upon by their lecturers.

For some of the students, the strike has opened new opportunities for them to explore other positive ways to survive. While some lament the impact of the strike on their academic plans, some of them share their experiences:

Chidi Nwamuo, a third year Estate Survey student of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, said because his parents are poor, staying in school had always been better for him, adding that the first few weeks of the ASUU strike was a nightmare in the house for him.

“My parents always have my requirements for school ready and I am not usually considered in the family feeding budget when schools are supposed to be in session. The only period they have plans for me is during holidays and I don’t even find such periods easy.

“After staying at home for the first one month of the strike, I took the decision to help myself and assist the family as well. I had to go to one of the construction sites in Awka where I carry blocks to the maons.

“I have been making about N3,000 a day, but being mindful of my health, I don’t do it every day.

“Since I began the job, I feed only once a day in the house as my breakfast and lunch are outside and from the money I make,” Nwamuo explained.

He, however, urged the Federal Government and the leadership of ASUU to consider the plight of the students by speeding up negotiations and reopen the universities.

Another student of Statistics at Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Ada Okoli said she has become a newspaper vendor to keep herself busy.

According to her, she was not particularly doing it for money, but just to leave the house every morning.