By Jimoh Ahmed

Business owners operating around the universities’ environments are lamenting the huge losses recorded in the last three months of ongoing ASUU strike. They said the strike has also led to laying off of some of their workers.

They regretted that the ongoing strike by members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities ASUU, has crippled many businesses.

A provision store operator around the Federal University of Technology Akure, Mrs. Mercy Paul said strike and protest are the greatest enemies of businesses in university environment, stressing that they both have adverse effect on businesses.

“The ongoing strike is now running to four months and there is no indication that it will be called off or suspended any time soon, our businesses are affected. I for example sell provisions, before the strike, students always stopped by  to buy stuffs most especially cold drinks but there is nothing like that any longer.”

Also speaking, her counterpart simply identified as ‘Alfa’ who owns a cyber café at the ‘Obakekere’ area within the university campus said he plans opening his shop so as not to sit at home idle, stressing that the havoc caused by the ongoing strike cannot be quantified.

“The strike is really affecting me and a lot of business owners in my shoes. Business is not as usual these days when the strike is ongoing compared to when the school is on session. I believe that consistency is the key and that is why I keep coming to open my shop just that at times we open for business late and we close early since students are not around. This may be sometimes tiring, but I believe we will get over it and this too shall pass.”

A phone engineer and accessories trader in Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba Akoko, AAUA, Michael Jude lamented that the strike had ruined his business as he hardly makes sales.

“We all know that Akungba is  students dominated area, a location of good sales and that’s why we are here.

“Adekunle Ajasin university has about 20,000 students while only hundreds are left at the moment and they even decrease every day and week after the announcement of the 12 weeks strike extension by ASSU”, he explained.

He disclosed that he hardly sell as he most times did not even get a phone or gadget to repair.

A food vendor in the school, Miss Tosin Muyideen told The Hope that her business had been on hold as nobody was available to patronize her.

She said, “I do meat and ponmo sauce everyday of the week while I also take orders for birthdays, events and food delivery when the strike has not yet started ,and at least I make N3,000  profit upward from work daily”.

Speaking with The Hope, Mrs Yemisi Adebiyi, a business centre operator at the Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba Akoko, disclosed that since the strike started, her business has shut down.

Similarly, Mr Adewumi Ayomikunle, a tricycle operator at the school, said life has not been the same since the strike started.

Ayomikunle told our correspondent that he has since packed the tricycle and now joined commercial motorcycle transport business.

A senior lecturer from the Department of History and International Relations who is also the Chairman of ASUU in Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba Akoko, Prof. Simon Ehiabhi, said that the strike was borne out of frustration.

He however noted that the strike provides opportunity for the government and other stakeholders to appraise the situation and take steps that will prevent a recurrence, adding that it is also a good opportunity for students, staff and marketers to review their strategies.

An academic scholar and analyst Dr. Bayo Fasunwon said the future is glooming for the country.

He said “to start with, what Nigeria and Nigerians have lost to this ongoing strike is unquantifiable. On the part of students, they are going through what I can call disillusionment and if care is not taken, this could lead a lot of them to drug and other unwholesome activities if they are not properly guided and it is quite unfortunate that this guidance is not available. The fact remains that the future is gloming for Nigerians youth and it seems as though all hope is lost.

“It is a known truth to all and sundry that the university system has in no small measure contributed to the business sector, take Akungba for example, since the commencement of the strike, most business owners have shut their businesses and run away because the banks are after them, they secured loans from these banks and find it difficult to pay back, some SSANU members are now into transport business and this has since put them at loggerheads with NURTW members.”

Additional report by
Babatunde Ayedoju,
Samuel Edu,
Kayode Afolabi
& Tolulope Atanniyi