By Aliyu Baba Mohammed
The phrase, “ASUU Strike” is no
longer alien to the ears of (almost)
every Nigerian. It would be hard to find a household in Nigeria that has never
had the bitter experience of this phrase, especially between 1999 to date.
Within these periods, the phrase “ASUU Strike” has occurred to Nigerians more
than fifteen times. As a matter of fact, call it annual rituals and you are
good to go.
Currently, the Academic Staff Union
of Universities (ASUU), an umbrella body for Nigeria University teachers is at
it again; “warning strike” as it always starts with. Every
government-established University in Nigeria is currently in another academic
impasse due to (yet) another strike by the union of the University lecturers.
The unfortunate development that
doesn't only cripple the academic activities but also the small businesses that
solely depend on the students’ patronage within the campus.
According to findings of A.B.U
Campus Press , a campus press mainly for student journalists, the community
market and other business outlets where most of the shopkeepers spent their
workdays is no longer congested and noisy as usual, but overtaken by smooth
movement of breeze and melodious sound of birds in the surroundings.
The sprawling of about
7,000-hectare campus situated in the second largest city of Kaduna State Northwestern
Nigeria, hosting about 35,000 students enrolled in the University's degree and
sub-degree programs which touch every state of the federation, including other
African countries and the rest of the world as well as the about 1,400 academic
and research staff and 5,000 support staffs has left the shopkeepers to their
fate as the wind of strike blows again.
Ishaq Multi-purpose Enterprises, a
photocopying, printing and online services shopkeeper at the community market
said anything that could cause the students to leave the campus is Invariably
putting a stop into his business. He said the life and soul of businesses on
campus entirely rely on the presence of students.
“Just look at me, this is how I've
been sitting here since morning without a customer in view. And it's not only
me, this is the case of almost everyone around here. Without students on
campus, every business here slipped into a coma.”
Ishaq said he has no choice
currently than to reduce the charges for his services to attract little customers
around to always come to him for his good and subsidized services. He further
advised that the government should always be proactive in response to the
demands of the University lecturers to prevent the incessant strikes that
always stalled their businesses.
“It doesn't make sense that the
government always allows the lecturers to leave the work thereby sending the
students home before they begin to respond to their demands. It is better if
they act on time to forestall the strike from happening.”
In a separate interview,
Abdulshakur Idris who sells provisions said instead of customers waiting for
them when the students are around, they are now waiting for customers almost in
vain. And he was happy seeing the reporter heading towards his shop thinking he
was coming to patronize him.
“You see, I don't even know what to
say, Sir. But it's always a loss whenever this happens because some goods here
are perishables and we bought them hoping to resell them within a specific
duration and now that students are not around, they'll definitely spoil. That's
why it even gladdens my heart when I first saw you coming, I thought you're
coming to buy everything here (smiles).”
Also at the market was Mrs James
Deborah, a hairdresser and wig seller who said the ASUU Strike usually takes
away about 90% of her customers. In essence, she only left with 10% of
customers in the absence of students on-campus. She appealed to the authorities
concerned to do the needful without taking much time.
As others lament of low patronage,
some shops were closed. Some of the closed shops include: Beautiful Gate
Business Center, RAF ICT Solutions and POS Services, ABU Mini Depot among
others.
Meanwhile, at the ICSA/Ramat hostel
market a shopkeeper, Ibrahim Sagir Jaja said the ASUU Strike is always like an
unforeseen epidemic in his business. He hardly sees it coming until it strikes.
“I'm not happy at all with this
development. It always hinders the business drastically and sadly, nobody can
even tell about its occurrence. It just occurred unknowingly and took away the
Joy of campus businesses.”
Ibrahim further revealed to A.B.U
Campus Press that he took a loan from the bank to stock his shop for the
resumption of students. And on normal occasions when students are fully
on-campus, he makes sales of not less than N100,000 daily but in the absence of
students presently, he hardly makes sales of N20,000. And the bank is expecting
him to pay back the loan at a specified time.
“You know every venture doesn't
exist in isolation; it has to collaborate no matter how little. So I usually
collect a loan from the bank to fund my business operations, just like every
other venture that demands reasonable capital for effective operation. And the
business is actually doing well. In fact, it got to the point that I'd to
employ a salesgirl to ease the activities for me because of high patronage. I
pay her N12,000 monthly, and if not because of this unfortunate event of ASUU
Strike, you would've met the girl here.”
Ibrahim said the salesgirl has
temporarily lost her job occasioned by ASUU Strike since he can handle the few
customers around himself. He added that the strike also affects the level of
the profit he makes annually and eventually, his standard of living.
A pap and potato seller and local
restaurant owner close to ICSA hostel common-room who preferred anonymity said
the absence of students of any kind (strike or holiday) is always a bad
experience for her business. She appealed to the government and the striking
lecturers to do everything possible to get the students back on-campus soonest.
In the same vein, the Amina, Ribadu
and Suleiman hostels’ selling points and the sampled shopkeepers expressed similar dissatisfaction over the ongoing
four-week warning strike as they also complain that the strike is negatively
affecting their businesses. They urged the authorities concerned to settle
their differences without taking much time as they have no plan B to venture
into while they have to cater for their families.
Meanwhile, in an opposing view, taking
the situation report at the Main-and-North-gates of the institution, the
transport service providers were in excitement as the event of the strike
greatly boosted their patronage. A tricyclist, Isah Ahmad said he has earned
double the amount of what he usually earns when the students are not traveling.
“Seriously, I dey happy as students
dey go home. Before, I no dey get up to #10,000, but today I don get more than
N15,000.”___Ahmad Isah said in pidgin-English while responding to questions.
However, all efforts to reach the
Aluta transport service providers within the campus proved abortive as no one
was available to feed the questions from our reporter.
As the four-week warning strike
continues, the A.B.U Main Campus keeps adopting an alien silence in all nooks
and crannies with frustrated shopkeepers and their stocks.
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