The seven-month long strike by members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) and its affiliates is affecting not only students who are missing out on their studies but also schoolchildren, as lecturers and even professors cannot afford to send their kids to school.

The indefinite strike by academic and non-academic staff at universities across the country started in February. Staff members have not been paid since then.

A lecturer told The Conversation that infrastructure, teaching, learning and research facilities were “grossly inadequate in our universities”. The union had demanded adequate funding and reached an agreement but the government had reneged on its implementation.

The staff wanted to have autonomy over the issue of salaries. But the government had come up with a salary payment system whereby the salaries of lecturers would be paid by the accountant-general of the federation.

The lecturer said that meant every payment – including research grants, sabbatical leave payments and leave allowances – had to pass through the personnel system, which was inefficient and could facilitate corruption.

He told The Conversation that wages were so poor that a very senior professor earned less than US$1,000 per month.

Student hostel rooms that were meant to accommodate four students now had 12 living in it and lecture rooms were overcrowded, he said.

The federal government has, up until now, declared it will not pay salaries for the striking period.

RNI reporter Aisha Jamal spoke to some university staff members who told her that because they had not been paid, they could not afford to send their own children to school, even though the new term had just begun in Maiduguri.

Mustapha Muhammad Ngoshe, chairperson of the University of Maiduguri chapter of the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities, said: “The non-academic staff has been on strike for almost five months but we decided to return to work at the end of August because of the hardships we are facing as a result of our salaries not being paid for all that time.

“We called off the strike to see what the federal government would do for us because our members are in deep financial trouble.

“We have children in nursery, primary and also in secondary schools. Now, at the start of the new school term, we have a lot of expenses but no money to register our children in schools. It’s a threat to our children’s education.”

He said they hardly had money for food and most of the children were sitting at home or roaming the streets.

“We were not able to pay the schools fees and we begged the schools to pardon us because of the strike, saying we would pay as soon as things had settled in tertiary institutions. But the schools have lost patience with us now as we have not been able to pay anything since the strike began.” 

Ngoshe said that while university staff members’ children were sitting at home doing nothing, other children had begun classes.

“As a parent it is hard to see other children going to school while ours can’t. It is embarrassing and it makes you feel guilty. Our children are not getting educated. They just sit by and watch as their mates attend classes.

“This is affecting students as well. They have not been able to attend lectures at universities. This could affect their future lives,” he said, adding that something needed to be done urgently to prevent the collapse of the education system.

“We are pleading with the federal government to look into the situation and to start paying us as soon as possible so that our children can return to their studies.”

Muhammad Mustapha, another university staff member, said: “I have three children in school. It is now five months since I have received a salary and we are struggling financially. It is a big problem for us. We don’t even have money for food for our families, let alone to pay for their education.

“We were able to register and pay the school fees for the past school term. Then the school holidays came. But now, as the new term starts, we have to register our children again, buy schoolbooks and uniforms. It’s not just the school fees that are our problem. If we cannot afford all the things required for school, our kids cannot return to classes. We are hoping that now we are back at work we will get money so things can return to normal.

“We need to meet our union leaders again and speak to the academic staff who are still striking. They need to be told that if the strike continues it will have a negative effect on all of us.”

Muhammad Kyari, a lecturer, said: “It has been seven months since the academic started striking and we have not been paid a salary in all that time. The university grounds are a mess – all covered with long grass. The business side of the campus has collapsed too. All the lecturers and even professors are struggling financially. I have a side job but still the financial burden is too much and I cannot bear continuing with this.

“The federal government, the unions and the tertiary education institutions need to get together to resolve this issue. We cannot go on like this. It is destroying our education system. Our students and even some of our kids are not getting the education they need. In the long term this could have dire consequences not only for the children but also for the country as a whole. These matters need to be sorted out as soon as possible so that life can get back to normal again.”

AISHA SD JAMAL