ASUU STRIKE AND ITS NEGATIVE IMPACTS ON NIGERIAN TERTIARY EDUCATION [by @stan015]

INTRODUCTION
Good day all! In this article we shall look at the negative impacts of ASUU strike on Nigerian students. The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) embarked on an indefinite strike on the 23th of March, 2020 over the insistence of the Federal Government (FG) on implementing the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System (IPPIS) as the payment platform in the university system and the failure of the FG to reach to their numerous demands (Punchng, 2020). The members of ASUU had strongly opposed IPPIS and had developed University Transparency and Accountability Solution (UTAS) as an alternative for university payroll application (Vanguardngr, 2020). Despite the fact that one can argue that the seven-month strike had impacted positively in some areas on some individuals, it is very clear that the negative impacts of the strike is much more as it affected the country's education calendar, students, lecturers, economy, and the society at large.

MAIN ARTICLE
The strike which lasted for seven months have affected negatively the country's tertiary education calendar in such a way that 2020's academic sessions was not accomplished as scheduled. Though one can argue that the corona-virus (covid-19) pandemic which had forced the country to go on lockdown in order to cope the spread of the virus on the "30th of March, 2020 (Aljazeera, 2020)" was responsible for the delay of the FG to reach an agreement with ASUU. But the fact still remains that the country's tertiary education 2020 academic calendar was affected more negatively due to the continuity of the strike.

Also, the students and the lecturers were impacted negatively by the ASUU strike. The students' academic performances were definitely affected negatively as most of the students spend most of their time off their books for unrelated acts during the long break caused by the strike and covid-19, many, if not all, were affected academically, emotionally and attitudinally. Students were affected negatively also in terms of sessions as they lost almost an academic year.
The lecturers were negatively affected intellectually as most them have also stayed off books during the break and had lost interest in studying and preparing for lectures as there are no students to teach. The lecturers are the members of the ASUU, therefore they are the people struggling to gain resolutions from FG on the needs which are set backs to them in carrying out their duties in their various universities.

The strike had also ignited a lot of negativities in the society at large arising from the idle minds of younger generations of the country which includes "stealing, vandalism, sexual promiscuity, smoking, drinking, confrontation with parents, and so on (Wikipedia, 2013)". The society have also been affected economically as many have been denied the flow of income during the long break. The universities and other education institutions were also impacted negatively on income aspect.

CONCLUSION
As it is said; "Education is the key to success in life, and teachers make a lasting impact in the lives of their students"(Solomon Ortiz). It was very necessary for tertiary institutions to resume so to continue building the young minds to becoming the future of the country. The Federal Government should strive to provide what it takes to attain quality education in the country and as well reach worthy agreements with the Academic Staff Union of Universities in other to build a better future for her nation as it is said; "the young are the future" (Anonymous, 2020).
As Malcolm X say "Education is the passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to those who prepare for it today", the Nigerian tertiary education needs to get back on and impact positively to her younger generations.