ASUU: Students embark on skill acquisition as strike enters 6th week

Some tertiary institution students have resorted to learning different kinds of skills following the announcement the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) to extend its one-month warning strike by another two months.

Some students made this known in separate interviews with our correspondent on Wednesday in Kaduna.

Hajara Muhammed, a student of Nigerian Languages, Bayero University Kano(BUK), stated that she had anticipated to resume school after the initial warning strike; but was disappointed with the extension.

Mohammed explained that she would use the two months to learn fashion designing in order to develop her self and get busy.

“I am a 300 level student, going by our school calendar, we are supposed to round up the semester in one month but this strike has disrupted our plans.

“So, instead of sitting at home doing nothing, I decided to learn a skill so that by the time I graduate I will monetise my skill without waiting for a white collar job,” she said.

Emmanuel Jonah, a 200 level Engineering student at the Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria, said he was not happy with the strike but would use it to his advantage.

He noted that he had enrolled into a digital marketing class to build his capacity on the digital world business, saying it is a skill that generates high income.

Jonah however urged ASUU and the Federal Government to resolve their disagreement as soon as possible so that children of the masses studying in public universities would continue their academic activities.

Similarly, Aisha Yunus, a 200 Mass communication student, BUK, said she would volunteer to work in any media house to have a field work experience in Journalism.

“I just want to practise the theories I have been learning in school, so that by the time ASUU calls off strike ,I would be more sound in news reporting and writing,” she added.

Our correspondent reports that ASUU had embarked on a nationwide warning strike to press home its members’ demands from Feb.14.

The lecturers’ demands include funding of the Revitalisation of Public Universities, Earned Academic Allowances, University Transparency Accountability Solution (UTAS) and promotion arrears.

On March 14, the union announced that it would continue its roll-over strike for another eight weeks to enable the Federal Government address issues in concrete terms.