• Students pray that ASUP strike must not return
• Hail Shekarau for negotiating truce

One prayer point on the lips of thousands of students in public polytechnics and colleges of education is that ‘affliction will not rise a second time.’
That is their fervent wish, as the leadership of Academic Staff Union of Polytechnic, (ASUP) and Colleges of Education Academic Staff Union (COEASU), bowed to the request by the new Minister of Education, Mallam Ibrahim Shekarau, to call off the 10-month old industrial action.
A three-month period of grace was given by the polytechnic lecturers for the government to address their bottled grievances or face ‘the mother of all strikes’ in days to come. Recall that academic activities were paralysed in both government-owned polytechnics and colleges of education when ASUP announced a nationwide strike on October 4, 2013. Also, COEASU commenced its own action on December 18, 2013. According to the ASUP President, Dr. Chibuzor Asumogha, the strike has been suspended for three months to allow the new Minister of Education, Mallam Ibrahim Shekarau, look into their demands. He said that the union did not want to welcome the new minister with strike.
For students, their relief was evident as academic activities picked up with speed in their various institutions. Agboola Rachael, a student of the Department of Hospitality, Leisure and Tourism, Federal Polytechnic of Ede, Osun State, lamented the losses incurred during the long strike, saying that such should be averted in the future.
“Industrial action by academic unions is the bane of development in any country that wants to develop human abilities. We don’t want such incident again as it affects everybody. I am very happy that we are back in school,” she said joyfully.
Ibirogba Solomon, a 200 level student of Geography, Adeyemi College of Education, could not conceal his joy, as he spoke with our reporter.
“There is no place like school.  I will always say I’ve missed all my friends and I can’t wait to begin to go back to classes,” he stated
Also reacting, Edegbai Dorcas, a Biochemistry student of Federal College of Education, Abeokuta, Ogun State, said the strike wasted the academic calendar. “The course we should have completed in three years has been elongated by the industrial action of COEASU.
We pray that such strike will never occur again in the nearest future. And government should always look into the affairs of students and lecturers,” she pleaded.
Also speaking, Alimat Fashina, who owns a business centre at the Federal Polytechnic of Ede, expressed displeasure on how the strike paralyzed her business.
She said: “Students and lecturers patronise us whenever they are in school but in periods of strike we suffer a lot. This particular strike affected us more than any other because our rent would be counting whether the school is in session or not. We join in the appeal to federal government to always look into the demands of these lecturers because they know what is good for them and their students.”
She thanked God that the students are back to campus as her business will flourish again.
To Muydin Arowolo, an HND 11 student of Federal Polytechnic Ilaro, Ogun State, the strike lasted longer than necessary due to the negligent attitude of the government.
“Since the children of the wealthy class are in private institutions in Nigeria and abroad, they never care about the education of the poor masses who have no money to send their children to private institutions. They do not want us to further our education beyond secondary school level because they know that education is a liberating force and once we are liberated, there will be no more room for maladministration and oppression of the poor masses,” he argued.
Another student, Seyi Atoyebi, a student of Kwara State Polythecnic, said she was desperate to return to classes. Above all, she confessed missing her friends for such a long time.
“The psychological effect of being alone and waiting for a few people to decide your fate is disheartening. As for me, I will always be happy in the midst of students. So, I’m fully happy that we have resumed,” he said.
Damilola Ayoola of the Department of Mechanical Engineering, Yaba Colleague of Education, YABATECH, Lagos blamed the unions for the prolonged strike action and urged them to explore other avenues to press home their demands.
“It is high time the leadership of all the education unions devised other means of fighting the government instead of embarking on industrial actions. Students pay the price majorly because lecturers will be paid their salaries and allowances, while students will be at home doing nothing.”
Afeez is a 200 level student of Political Science, Obafemi Awolowo University

NEVER AGAIN!