Asuu Strike: A Blessing Or A Curse

A short essay that talks on asuu strike and the reasons it is a curse. Please rate my writing.

Personally, the ASUU strike has been more of a curse to me. Home is not where I like staying for too long due to some personal issues. So I don't feel comfortable staying at home for too long, but I have no choice because of the strike. Besides that, the uncertainty that surrounds the ASUU strike is something to worry about. When is it going to be called off? Nobody knows when. It can be called off anytime, and students are unsure if they should venture into something else. What if I pay the agreed fee for catering and the strike is called off next week? What if I get this job and the strike is suddenly called off?

One month into the first warning strike in February, I started looking around for a job. I didn't go home then; I stayed in my off-campus hostel. I saw a really nice restaurant that needed a sales girl. When I inquired, I was asked if I was looking for a job because of the strike, I agreed, and they said they were looking for long-term workers, so they couldn't employ me. I couldn't promise to work long-term; what if the strike gets called off just a few weeks in? And if the strike got extended, I couldn't guarantee that I would still stay at my hostel; I had to go home at some point. The job was perfect for me, but I was uncertain because of the strike. Many students are scared of focusing on outside work only to be told to resume the following week.

I continuously see posts on social media telling students to use this opportunity and learn a skill. It's a good idea, but not everybody can afford it. Learning a skill is not free; some students, after struggling to pay their tuition fees, are left with nothing to sponsor them in learning a skill. I particularly love writing, and I have been trying to develop my skill in any way I can, but it has not been an easy task as most sources require a monetary fee or data, which is a big problem for me. It's quite frustrating to keep searching for free classes but realize that they only brush the surface of what you already know and that you can only get the real deal when you pay for their masterclass. Watching on YouTube and other learning apps is data draining; my N100 card I usually manage for a month, can't obviously help me use them. Learning a physical skill is also not possible without an agreement fee; my aunt recently enrolled my little cousin for a makeup apprenticeship; I was told she paid around N80,000 in cash and then added the other things she has to buy, too; that's a total over N100,000. Imagine such high fees for a student who made a late payment of tuition fees and has no money yet for textbooks.

Getting a job is also not as easy as people say it is. As I gave my experience earlier, most good-paying jobs seek long-term workers. Apart from that, some students are finding it hard to get a job in their area. Since I came home around May, I have not been able to get a good job because the place my family's house is located is like a village. They don't know how to employ with value, and most stores are small family shops that don't need the help of a worker. There are some big stores too, but they offer very low pay, not considering the labor that goes into working there. I did some job hunting around, and the only work I saw that was better was a fuel attendant job, but I wasn't accepted due to the age range. No good jobs are around for students who want to work, and it's really frustrating.

Another reason why the ASUU strike is a curse is the disadvantage it gives to students who stay off-campus. As most of us had already paid the year's rent before the strike, our hostels had been left to insects and rodents for the better part of the year. I paid a sum of N136,000 for rent, and over five months and counting, my room has been left unused. Some students left their foodstuffs and clothes too, thinking that they would return in a few weeks; it's been months, and some properties of cockroaches and rats have destroyed not all. Even books too. By the time we resume, the damages would be too much, and only the students will suffer from it. Also, imagine next year, we would be renewing our rents and making losses.

The students always bear the brunt of it all.

Then, of course, there is the major issue of a student's dream, which I saved for the last. Not every student has a skill or passion outside their studies. Not every student can be an entrepreneur. Some students are at their best when in school; they do better in reading and writing, and they plan on using their certificates to work. Some students cannot learn a skill or start a business; they just cannot cope in the long run because their specialty is school. Their interest is just centered on going to school, passing, and working with their certificates and degrees. Believe it or not, they enjoy school, but their dreams are being slowed down by the ASUU strike. They just cannot perform well outside school; they just want to go to school and learn. And I also believe that every student wants to get this stage of life over with. We have been passing every other stage without problems; why must this one delay us?

Some students have plans that cannot be attended to until they are done with school. Why the delay? The ASUU strike is delaying the leaders of tomorrow. It's delaying the future of doctors, lawyers, engineers, bankers, e.t.c. It's just not right. The disadvantages of the strike are just too much compared to the benefits. Personally, I have been affected in many ways; it has been a curse to me.

ASUU STRIKE IS A CURSE.

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