ASUU - Academic Staff Union of Universities, the umbrella union for university teachers in Nigeria has for more than a decade become synonymous with industrial disputes. Their prolonged strikes and absence from academic activities have stemmed largely from perceived inadequacies in fund allocations, emolument, allowances, infrastructure, teaching aids and all what not. When you hear them out, the position presented by them sounds plausible. Their grouse according to them is with their employer, GOVERNMENT.

The question we need to ask is this, "WHO IS ON ASUUs SIDE?"

I am a parent, I have a child in one of the state universities, I am not on ASUUs side and I stand to be corrected. I struggled to pay the school fees for a session Year 2021/2022 and did same to secure a room off campus for my child since the institution is non-residential. Another rent is due in September 2022 and yet 5 months or more have been wasted with no chance of reimbursement!

My child's contemporaries in private universities are privileged to have a regular calendar of academic activities devoid of consistent disruptions due to disputes with their employers, as such their graduation in 4, 5 or 6 years is guaranteed. The parents of these ones can then have a breather and face the responsibility of bringing up their other children. I do not have this grace and I fear what would happen when my other child dispenses soon with secondary school and comes to join her brother. On this too, I am not on ASUUs side.

I was a student at the University of Ibadan (UI) from 1984 - 1988, I put in for a 4-year programme which was concluded within the academic calendar provided despite a number of industrial actions during the period by ASUU, NASU and other associated unions. It appears the unions then had a breed of special people quite different from the ones we now have today. They were obviously more considerate and conscious of the future of the wards in their care, they would not allow a 4-year programme to extend to as much as 5, 6 or maybe more years with all the frustrations that come along. Besides they may have figured out that the grass need not suffer always when 2 or more elephants are fighting! On this too, I am not on ASUUs side.

Lecturers take pains to teach us that whenever we have a project, constant reviews and assessments are required from time to time to achieve our goals and objectives. This gives us opportunities to effect strategy changes where necessary in the pursuit of the project. Is it not amazing that ASUU has chosen not to apply this in the struggle to achieve whatever their objectives might be? Why is it that going on strike seems to be their most important weapon in their engagement with their employer, is it not obvious to all that the strategy has not worked? 2009 to date is 13 whole years, can it be that the same strategy of strike every now and then since then is still expected to produce a different outcome? ASUU should apply what they teach us and stop this hypocrisy. On this too, I am not on ASUUs side.

ASUUs employer have a whole lot of issues of governance to contend with and if the weapon of strike is employed by every facet of employee to achieve improvement in working conditions, I really wonder. Education is very important, a real pivot in the wheel of any nation's development but I think the end does not always justify the means. The strike strategy in my opinion has been over-utilized by ASUU without counting the damage to students, their parents or benefactors and the effect on the economy. On this too, I am not on ASUUs side. Please let them read and hear our cries of despair, maybe just maybe their eventual change of strategy might achieve a better outcome in deliberations with their employer. I rest my case.

I no support them. Na them dey bleep our girlfriends.