Estimated reading time: 14 minute(s)
Quadri Yahya
Scores of students from different tertiary institutions have described the four months strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities as a blessing for them.
PLATFORM TIMES engaged some of them to know what they have either lost or gained within the four months of the strike by the ASUU, it was shocking that while some may be complaining of loss, many of the students who spoke with our reporter said they were blessed by the strike.
A 300 level student of the University of Ibadan, Wale Adekola expressed that the strike has made him realise some of his dreams as a person in the English and Literary Studies discipline.
For Adekola, impacting knowledge in young writers has been one of his dreams but busyness in school has made him suspend organising training for budding writers. However, in the last four month of the ASUU strike, he has been able to organise training and workshops for many students.
“First of all, I’ve been helping budding writers connect with established ones via my organization, Wale Adekola’s Literary Space which is a subdivision of D-polyglot Publishers & Entertainment. Apart from bridging their gaps, I’ve also been training other writers across academic, theatrical and creative on how to better hone their skills. And also, I give them close mentorship by creating a strong congenial relationship between us. In a nutshell, I have done all these as a service to humanity”, he said.
The 300L student also told PLATFORM TIMES that he has engaged in self-development as well.
He said: “However for my personal self, I have maximized the strike by deciding to learn web-developing which I’m still currently on. Again, there are plans already, that if the strike should tarry longer, I will be going for a screenwriting internship at a well revered Nigerian movie productions company where I am already expected to resume soon.”
PLATFORM TIMES recalls that ASUU has embarked on a strike four months ago in order to compel the Federal Government to act on a variety of issues that have lingered between both parties for years.
Since the strike was declared in February, there has been little progress in the negotiations as both parties’ are yet to reach an agreement.
In an interview with a 100L student of UI, Sakeenah Kareem, honing her writing skill as well as diving into the media world has been her focus since the strike started.
“I’d say the ASUU strike is an opportunity delivered on a gold plate. I have been able to hone my writing skill more than ever and even made a stipend from it.
“Juiciest of it all,” she added. “I’m currently a journalist intern and this has enabled me to widen my horizon of the media world, a larger insight and practicality of what I would be learning in school. In a statement, the ASUU strike is a treasure’s trove”.
For many students, engaging in practical works of their disciplines have been their ultimate investment since the strike kicked-off. One of such students is Shoaga Folajimi, a 200L student of Olabisi Onabanjo University.
Folajimi studying Urban and Regional Planning (URP) said working alongside an experienced professional in his field has been a rare opportunity which ASUU strike has afforded him.
“I am actually using the strike period to learn more about my course. I am working with someone that studied my course so I am using the strike as an opportunity to learn more and have more experience about the course I’m studying.”
He noted that his internship was pre-planned since the talk for total strike has been hinted at.
“And yes, I planned to do that when asuu started the strike,” he told PLATFORM TIMES.
A student of Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, Fauziyyah Mutawakkil, making money amidst the strike has made her think less of resumption or feel depressed.
Although freelancing as a writer, the 400L student in the department of Animal science department said the strike paved way for her to be more dedicated and consistent in honing her soft skill and to be financial independent to some extent.
She said: “I’m making money, there is no stress, and I’m healthy.
Well, I have been doing it before the strike. I am making money. I am doing freelancing. That is how I generate my money. I have given up on school. I used to like school but not anymore. In fact, I don’t want us to resume anymore, just that I am just left with a year to graduate.”
Adekola further told PLATFORM TIMES about his aspiration to become an author coming true also during the ASUU strike.
He narrated: “In furtherance of how much I have maximized the ASUU strike, I must say that, by God’s grace, I have done well for myself. The only difference between the academic clumsiness one gets on campus and the kind of cumbersome work I am currently on is the fact that I am not going for formal academic classes. My career has made me read even wider. For instance, recently my novel titled, Our Buffalos, will be on sale from next month on Amazon and Okada Books. This achievement might not have been so possible for me to bag since I would not have the luxury of time to meet with publishers considering how busy and cumbersome my courseworks are. So the strike could be disturbing and unacceptable but I have not let all the months slide without doing those important things I would not have done if on campus.”
