INTRODUCTION: Anyone acquainted with the Nigerian academic institution will be definitely apprised of the incessant academic strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) - an industrial strike by the foremost university lecturers' body which has become a routine since the union's foundation in 1978, which succeeded the defunct Nigerian Association of University Teachers established in 1965. One would think, "why should a responsible government continually be found in a year-to-year monotonous struggle with the academic crew of its tertiary institutions - the highest learning centers in the country?" Then, when one understands the ruins that the academic institution of Nigeria has fallen into, one would presume that all that is left of the nation's tertiary institutions are just some stacks of debris, destroyed by repetitious strike and the undaunted nature of both parties (the government and the striking lecturers) to come to a permanent agreement.

The essayist in this article, however, is not interested in giving a chronological or historical account of the ASUU strike from the inception and foundation of the union, but seeks to underscore the advantageous effects that the strike has had on him.
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DEFINITION OF ASUU STRIKE : The phrase "ASUU strike," is very broad, but has been summarized and defined by me as an industrial conflict between the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) and the Federal Government of Nigeria, resulting from unfulfilled agreements and conflict of interests between the two parties mentioned.


Whereas the 2020 ASUU strike which began in March, 2020, has had a gross and adverse effect on the students who are always at the receiving end, the essayist utilized the long-term strike to achieve some goals which he will painstakingly and clearly state in the following part of this essay.

It was Winna Efendi who noted that
"Some things, and some people, come unexpectedly." The ASUU strike came in a time Nigerian students never prayed for, this is because the students always frown at anything that may disrupt their academic plans. In fact, for a Final Year student, the strike was a repulsive action since it became an impediment to their graduation. But then, with the strike also came the novel Coronavirus - making the industrial action embarked on by the ASUU to have little or no attention from the government, as every energy and resources were channeled into combating the deadly disease by the government. Then, with the disease receding, the government resumed talk with the union to end the strike, which as it stands, the students awaits a formal announcement by the union to discontinue the strike.

The strike can be described as an action which drove some students to depression, others to making money, and some to an untimely death.

I have however benefitted from the long ASUU strike through the following ways:

FROM AN AVERAGE READER TO AN AVID READER

The strike gave me an ample time to read broadly, especially lengthy text books - an exercise which to some students is very boring and stressful. I became a bibliophile by virtue of always reading, since the strike occurred concurrently with the lockdown orchestrated by the endemic coronavirus disease, keeping everyone indoors. I had all the time to spend at the reading table, reading voluminous books and exciting stories from Nigerian authors and foreign authors. It was during this period that I developed love for books. Any day I didn't read, I felt this emptiness and guilt. It became a task and a responsibility that I had to visit my books regularly to keep the knowledge flowing.

OPPORTUNITY TO EXPLORE AND ACCESS THE AKWA IBOM STATE E-LIBRARY

With the rising cases of COVID-19 dwindling, the Government, represented by the Presidential Task Force lifted the 24 hours curfew that restricted movement. With this improvement, movements and businesses returned gradually. This gave me the opportunity to visit the state's e-Library where I got registered as a reader. I had this serious itch and drive to explore my discipline of study widely. Daily, after my domestic chores, I made my way to the library where I was exposed to useful materials bordering my discipline of study. Without the ASUU strike, such opportunity would have hardly come by because even the usual academic break from school activities was always a short one, it would have been that either I traveled or I spent the break doing nothing. But the long strike gave me this compulsive drive to read harder and to prepare for examination.

CONFABULATION WITH MY SUPERIORS

Another positive effect of the strike on my academic life was the opportunity to consult senior students in my discipline to ask for guidance on how to approach exam questions, how to answer the questions and how the course lecturers wants their questions to be answered. When I had finished consulting these senior students in my department, I felt fulfilled. This was because one should not only study harder, but should learn the strategies to put the things studied to proper use during examination. As a freshman on campus, I had this phobia for exam, but during the strike period, that fear was driven away by adequate preparation and consultation bordering how to approach exam questions.

MEETING WITH OTHER STUDENTS

I did not only utilized the period to read, but to also meet with friends who were passionate and goal-oriented about their academics. At the state's e-Library, I met with readers from different institutions. The interaction and discussion I had with them was an interesting one with which I made a comparative analysis of my discipline with their disciplines. I am a prospective historian, at the e-Library, I met with this student of Sociology/Anthropology. The discussion I had with him was a very striking one. From him, I got to learn the relationship that exists between my course of study and his own. Academic activities does not only revolve around reading, but covers those activities that widen our thinking horizon. I also met with a prospective student of Medicine and Surgery amongst others. All the talks we had became a big motivation for me on why I should pursue my career with dexterity and tenacity. In these students, I saw the impulse to become professionals in their respective fields. This was a big time provocation to pursue my career with an undaunted pursuit.

WRITING CHALLENGE

One of the academic activities I engaged in during the strike period was writing challenge. I attempted two writing competitions, with this one included, making it three. These competitions gave me a mastery of the pen and made me a person of letters. Reading is good, speaking is better, but writing is the best. In a virtual and changing world like this, one needs to master the art of writing - thanks to the ASUU strike that brought such a golden opportunities to me.

CONCLUSION: Every given opportunity should be used positively, even though such opportunities may not always be what we wished for - the ASUU strike as a case-study. A goal-oriented person will always have that ability to think out of the box and convert a miserable opportunity to a life-changing one. It will be a serious setback if students did not explore the strike period in studying and rounding up their course materials and exploring the world of books.

With this article, I wish to encourage Nigerian students to pursue their academics relentlessly and to always use every given time away from the school environment to add up to their knowledge.

Writer: GENERAL MARK (Facebook)
https://web.facebook.com/general.mark.18/

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