Strike: How we are surviving without salaries

As the Academic Staff Union of Universities strike clocks 172 days today, FUNMILAYO AREMU reports on how members of the union have been coping without salary, even as there is no end in sight for the strike that has paralysed activities in the country’s government owned universities.

Khalid (not real name) weaved his way through the crowd at the wedding of his neighbour’s daughter, trying not to run into any of the obnoxious neighbours on his way to the food stand. “Some guests haven’t eaten over there; why haven’t you served them?” he asked, motioning to his family of four seated at the table.

Normally, Khalid does not attend parties, he would rather put some money in an envelope and send to the celebrant. Unfortunately, he could not avoid attending this one since he was not busy with academic work. Moreover, his physical presence would atone for his inability to reach out to the celebrant financially. He also reckoned that by bringing his family, he would be killing two birds with one stone by taking advantage of the opportunity to take lunch at the event.

Khalid has been living from hand to mouth since ASUU began a four-week warning strike on February 14. He has been trying his hands on several opportunities as a consultant, but he barely got any because his clients could not afford to pay.

According to Sunday Tribune investigations, many academics are struggling to survive without income while the strike continues. Mr Tasiu Rufai, a lecturer in the Department of Mathematics at Usmanu Dan Fodio University, Sokoto, Sokoto State, is one of them. He revealed to Sunday Tribune that he had to sell some of his belongings to survive.

“To cope, we sell our properties. I sold my personal belongings to make money. I had no idea the strike would last this long. We began by selling our cars and when that money was depleted, we began borrowing from relatives and friends.

“Then there’s the ASUU cooperative society’s soft loan, though not everyone qualifies for it.  I applied twice and was unsuccessful both times. Some of the employees are in critical conditions. To live, some of them have turned to farm or commerce. I borrow on a rotating basis. When I borrow from one person this month, I’ll borrow from another the next month and pay the first. That’s how I have been coping.

“Sometimes, I rely on friends and family members to help. It is a bad situation. Particularly for younger lecturers with no other sources of income. Unfortunately, I got married in March; therefore, I haven’t received a salary since then. The situation is dire.”

When asked if he engages in any trade to earn money, he stated that trading or farming requires funding. He also mentioned that any money he gets now goes toward feeding his family.

“You can’t trade or cultivate if you don’t have money. The strike came as a surprise. If we had anticipated it, we would have saved money and used it to start something. But now we’re going in circles; whatever little money we have, we spend it on food.

“We don’t even consider starting a business. I spend any money I get on my family. I considered conducting business with my March income, but we weren’t paid, so I dropped the plan. When we go to the ASUU cooperative for the N20,000 soft loan each month, professors queue up and may not even get it. I applied during Ramadan with the anticipation of receiving the funds; however, just two days before Salah, I learnt that I would not be receiving the loan,” he lamented.

Another lecturer at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, who asked to remain anonymous, told Sunday Tribune how his wife has taken on the role of provider and how he has had to compromise on so many things in the family due to paucity of fund.

He said: “For those of us who are fortunate enough to have working wives, it has not been that easy, but it has also not been too horrible. I have some colleagues whose spouses are also lecturers. They have a very difficult time surviving.

“Fortunately, aside teaching, some of them are involved in activities such as poultry farming and others. Apart from lecturing, I have an office where I consult, but due to the economic downturn, not much has come up from that office. So, for the time being, I would not include it in my sources of income.

“My wife is now in charge of most things and she does what she could by attending exclusively to what requires immediate attention. As a result, several things have been waived in my house. Many things go abandoned because there are no funds to support them. It is no longer a question of want, because even what is required cannot be obtained totally. As things stand, I can no longer afford to subscribe to DSTV because my primary focus is on sustaining the family.

“Some outings and visits have been cancelled because I am trying to save fuel in my car for more important activities and only when required; otherwise, I will park the car in the garage. I used to recharge my line with a significant amount of airtime, make calls, and keep my mobile data on as much as I wanted, but now I have to limit how much I use these things. I can’t afford daily airtime and data subscriptions anymore.

“At the moment, all I can think about is cutting back on practically everything. I simply attend to what I can and leave others for later, expecting that everything would return to normal. As I already stated, the woman is present and handling practically everything. All we do today is eat to survive. People are doing a variety of things to survive because we have no idea where we are headed. Some of us are now giving extra-mural lectures just to get by.

Mr Samuel Ibikunle, a lecturer at the Department of Linguistics and Languages, Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba, has only been able to make ends meet with loans and income from his wife’s business, who, according to him, is into wholesale of some goods.

“So, we eke out a living from proceeds of her business. For major expenses like rent and the children’s school fees, I obtain loans from our cooperative. What I did was to cut costs immediately ASUU started proposing the strike because there was the risk of salaries not coming in.I took out loans to invest in my wife’s business, so even if the government does nothing for the next 10  years, I won’t go hungry.

“So, even if the strike is ongoing, I am conducting research as an academic, and I occasionally work with my wife on her business,” he explained.

Mr Morgak Peter, a lecturer at the Department of Geology, University of Jos, disclosed to Sunday Tribune that he has been doing some consultancy and geological surveys to make ends meet.

“Surviving has been quite challenging. It has not been an easy five months without a paycheck. The last time we got paid was in February. For a man with five children, three of whom are in school, I needed to raise funds for my twin kids, who started school recently. It has been challenging.

“Some of us, depending on our discipline, do a little consulting here and there. It is not a long-term position. When the need arises, I do geological surveys; other times, borehole drilling although this is not the season. So getting one job in a week is challenging. We are only surviving due to God’s grace.

“When you have people looking up to you and then you don’t have a way to put food on the table, it may emotionally and physically destroy a man. We can only hope it doesn’t reach that extent. A large number of our colleagues are depressed. One of my colleagues is currently earning money by riding a motorcycle (okada) in his village. Imagine how much he can make from that, not in the city, but a village, because he no longer has the means to subsist in the city. Some lecturers have gone into farming and are unable to purchase fertilizers. It is a difficult situation,” he lamented.

Dr. Funsho Sonde, a lecturer in the English department at Tai Solarin University of Education, also spoke with Sunday Tribune, noting that while the strike has affected him and his three university-age children, his wife has been supportive.

Dr Olufemi Faleke of the Department of Veterinary Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Usmanu Dan Fodiyo University, Sokoto, Sokoto State, who has been farming since the strike began, revealed that many professional lecturers are opening their own outfits to render services through side hustles, such as trading, consultancy, farming, and so on, while others have joined private establishments to keep body and soul together, adding that the salary was nothing to write home about even before the strike.

“Before the strike, things were not looking well for lecturers in Nigeria because their pay was pitiful. Some people receive assistance from family and friends who are not lecturers. The income was not enough before, and now that it is not coming in, we are surviving by the grace of God. Several lecturers have accepted jobs outside the country where their services are required, which is detrimental to the development of the education sector,” he said.

Mr Abdullahi Nasiru, also a lecturer in the department of Science and Vocational Education at Usmanu Dan Fodiyo University, said he has been able to survive through a combination of income from agriculture, small business ventures and the grace of God.

Explaining how the situation had not been a bed of roses for him and his family, Nasiru  reasoned that even those who get paid are struggling to make ends meet, let alone those who have not been paid in five months.

“We’ve been managing. Friends and family can occasionally assist, but one cannot rely entirely on them because they may become exhausted over time,” he stated.

 

The worst yet to come?

When asked how the situation would further look like if the strike should persist, Mr Peter responded that it would have more severe consequences as some lecturers could lose their lives. He also warned that it would  have an impact on everyone in some way.

“If it continues, it will affect everyone – students, lecturers and parents. Everyone in the school community who sells stationery and food has gone out of business. And for the vast majority of them, it is their sole source of income. Some elderly men drive taxis from one campus to another, carrying students and staff between institutions; all of them are currently out of work and do not receive a pension. There is no way to survive. Everyone is affected,” he stated.

MrRufai also stated that if the strike continues, some lecturers will be forced to resign. “Other countries require the services of lecturers. I will quit my job if I start a good business immediately. I will take any job that has greater promise presently. I can’t even remember the last time I tried to read; it’s impossible to do so when you and your family are hungry. You can’t stay at home doing anything without monetary value. I can’t afford to squander time reading or doing research,” he added.

Dr Sonde emphasized the need of showing empathy in the current battle since developments in the near future will vindicate ASUU’s effort.

“By the time school becomes so expensive that the children of ordinary Nigerians no longer have access to education, we will all understand. We will do our best, but events will show that ASUU is justified in the near future. Everyone is affected. Children of lecturers are also included. Let all Nigerians stand with ASUU in this just cause,” he pleaded.

According to a professor who spoke to Sunday Tribune on the condition of anonymity, lecturers should start thinking outside the box to make ends meet. They should look for places where they can work. For him, it is not too much if it takes two years to fix the education system and put an end to the incessant strikes. He however warned that things would no longer be the same in the nation’s tertiary sector.

“With the current situation, universities will be short of lecturers by the time school resumes because many of them have relocated from the country. You would be surprised if you went to several universities and found out how many lecturers have left the nation.”

ASUU Chairman, Benue State University Chapter, Makurdi, Dr Victor KwaghfanTarnongo, while lamenting the actions of the government to keep lecturers unpaid, described it as inhuman and lacking proper sense of responsibility.

According to him, it has been very difficult for some ASUU members to cope without salaries, as some have decided to go back to farming while others who have cars have started using them for commercial purpose to carter for their families. He stressed further that, some are now teaching in Colleges of Education and other private universities.

He, however, reiterated that, despite the hardship, ASUU members are not ready to rescind their decision on the strike, because they are patriotic Nigerians and what they are doing now is for the future of the younger generation.

Meanwhile, as the strike lingers with some lecturers struggling financially, it appears the federal government is not ready to cave in to ASUU’s demands anytime soon, making this strike, the 16th by ASUU, potentially the longest since 1999.

Additional report by Vincent Kuraun and Edith-Mario Aigbavboa

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