₦airaland Forum

Here are 7 top reasons why ASUU may embark on strike:

1. 2009 ASUU-FG agreement

The agreement included details such as the breakdown of lecturers’ salary structure, staff loans, pension, overtime, and moderation of examinations. Part of the agreement dwelt on funding of universities where both parties agreed that each federal university should get at least N1.5 trillion between 2009 and 2011 while state universities, within the same period, should receive N3.6 million per student. Although, it is unclear how much the federal government have staked since then, full implementation of the agreement is top on ASUU’s Priority list.

2. Scrapping of post- UTME

The universities have often times been tasked by the government to seek means of generating wealth internally to augment what it gets from the central. One of such lucrative money making business is the post-UTME examination charges which the federal government have decided to do away with. The lecturers are not comfortable with this and may result to industrial action to drive home their grievances.

3. Eroded autonomy

Before now, the universities are the ‘Alpha and Omega’ of admissions. The Senate of a university is the highest policy-making body on academic matters, particularly admission of students and award of degrees. They admit based on their criteria, not minding the rules by JAMB. A typical institution will admit double what it can cater for in terms of facilities, some will admit more from the internally-run pre-degree program than the qualified ones from JAMB. They admit after deadlines. Some even run more than one class of a level; situations such as 100level A, 100 Level B…abounds in our ivory towers. All these and many more will be cut short by JAMB policies; admissions are now subject to ratification by the body.

4. Reduced ‘Egunje’

As buttressed in points 2 and 3, universities make money from legal and illegal deals. The illegal ones lecturers sometimes benefit from directly. One of them, owner of a tutorial centre who recently lamented asked where they (federal government) want him to sell all his printed post-UTME past questions. Such lecturer will jump at the idea of strike.

5. Personal benefits

Many lecturers are engaged in other things that include research, consultancy, business and the likes. Sometimes, these responsibilities require more time and travels, this they may not get enough when the academic session is on. They embrace strike easily since they will, besides working better for themselves, earn their salaries at the end of the strike.

6. FG’s body language

The APC-led government came into power with huge promises, raising the hope of not only the lecturers but also the students. However, the government has not been able to effect any radical change in its one year in office. More excruciating, FG does not show readiness to sustain the existing order. Many of these are contained in the 2009 agreement.

7. It’s been a while…

Actually, it’s been a while our lecturers went on a general strike. Our academic calendar is used to it so also our lecturers.

– Ismail Haruna said he converted to Islam at Games Village in Abuja

– He said he was a former driver to Living Faith Church bishop, David Abioye

– Ismail said he was very happy to be among Muslims in Abuja on his first fasting as a Muslim.


A former driver to renowned Living Faith Church Bishop, David Abioye has converted from Christianity to Islam.

Celebrating his thirteenth Jumaat as a Muslim, the Muslim convert said he has adopted a new name, Ismail Haruna.

Ismail formerly known as Nicholas Martins said he is happier as a Muslim than he was as a Christian.

“My former name was Nicholas Martins but I converted to become a Muslim,” Ismail said.

“I was converted at Games Village, Abuja, I am really happy to be a Muslim (laughs excitedly),” he said.

Watch video below:


He said he made the decision to drop Christianity after an incident relating to finance mismanagement at the Living Faith, Garden of Faith Church in Kaduna, Kaduna state.

Although he did not give details into the crime, Ismail told NAIJ.com he was convinced to drop Christianity when he sacked from his job for accepting doing wrong.

“I was a driver to bishop Abioye in Winners, I started working in Canaan Land in 2001 and I worked for five years.




https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F5V3IN3dLt8


“Something happened and they said that when you say the truth and the same truth will set you free,” Ismail said.

He said: “But, I was the only person that rose up and said this is what happened and this is the truth.”

Ismail said to his surprise after telling the truth – which was expected to save him – he was laid off alongside two other colleagues of his that were truthful.

“They laid us off and said we should stop working in the ministry.

“And I now discovered and said if I am telling you the truth and you are not setting me free and other people that I know that did what we were doing that was not good,” he said.


He said all the other people who committed the same crime retained their jobs after swearing with the bible and denying the crimes.

“Even today, I know they are there; they left them there and we that said the truth you refused allowing us continue with our jobs.”

Ismail said the incident made him move to Abuja, Nigeria’s capital city.

He told NAIJ.com said he had to suffer for about nine years before he could get another job to earn a living.

“I now converted to a Muslim because of what happened,” he added.

He added: “From 2004 till this year, I was not going to church again because I was just alone thinking.”

He said he felt disappointed and his mind was completely made up the moment the truth failed him.

During the period he started the new job, he began to admire the lifestyle of his employer. “When I saw him, I knew that this man is really doing what God wanted us to do,” he said.

“Because there are many things that I am seeing now that I was not seeing before that I did not even know about.

“I was born and brought up in the north, I spent like 28 years there, grew up there but when I came to Abuja, I started practising Islam and got converted,” he said.

Speaking about his new religion, Ismail said he was very happy to be among Muslims in Abuja on his first fasting as a Muslim.

“This is the first time I am doing a fasting as a Muslim and this is the first time I am worshipping as a Muslim on this holy prayer ground (laughing),” he said.

He said he was convinced he is at the right place.

He further called on all especially Christians to be weary of people who claim they are trutful than people who are able to own up to their wrongdoings.