5 Winning Points: ASUU Strikes Are Justifiable
Good day, students!
Looking for the winning points for your next debate? You’ve come to the right place.
We all know the pain. You are just settling into the semester, your timetable is ready, and suddenly—boom. Strike. You are back home, eating your parents’ food and wondering when you will graduate. It is frustrating. I know.
But today, we are putting emotions aside to look at the hard facts. Today, I am giving you a powerful debate script supporting the motion that ASUU Strikes Are Justifiable.
Before we dive in, let’s define our terms. ASUU stands for the Academic Staff Union of Universities. Justifiable means having a good reason or being right according to justice. My stance is that despite the inconvenience, these strikes are the only language the government understands to save our dying education system.
This article provides debate points supporting one side of the motion for educational purposes. It is not meant to diminish the opposing side but to help students build a persuasive argument.
Winning Debate Points on Why ASUU Strikes Are Justifiable
Here are the arguments you need to win over your panel of judges. Remember, when you get to the podium, speak with confidence!
1. It Is the Fight for Survival, Not Just Salary
My first point is the biggest misconception people have. Many people think ASUU strikes are just about lecturers wanting more money in their pockets. That is false.
The main reason for these strikes is the revitalisation of public universities. Have you walked into a chemistry lab in a federal university lately? It looks like a museum from 1960. No reagents, no modern microscopes, nothing. The lecture halls are so crowded that students sit on the floor or hang through the windows just to hear the lecturer.
ASUU is fighting so that you don’t have to study Computer Science without seeing a computer. If they don’t strike, the government will let these schools rot completely. So, when they strike, they are fighting for your right to quality learning environments.
2. The Government Is a Serial Promise Breaker
Imagine if you worked for someone who promised to pay you, signed an agreement, and then 13 years later, still hasn’t paid. Would you keep working and smiling?
That is exactly the situation with the Federal Government agreement of 2009. The government signed a contract with ASUU to fund universities and improve welfare. But year after year, they refuse to honor their own signature.
We teach children that honesty is the best policy. Yet, our leaders are teaching us that agreements mean nothing. The strike is the only tool left to force the government to be responsible. It’s not about being stubborn; it’s about holding leadership accountable.
3. Preventing the Total Collapse of Public Education
Let’s be real for a second. If ASUU stops fighting, public education in Nigeria will die. It will become like our public primary schools—abandoned and empty.
The wealthy politicians send their children to private universities or abroad to the UK and USA. They don’t care if the federal universities collapse because their children are not there. According to a report by Premium Times, the budget allocation for education in Nigeria is consistently far below the UNESCO recommendation of 26%.
ASUU is the last line of defense. They are the only ones standing between the common man’s child and total illiteracy. If you believe that education is better than money, then you must support the people fighting to keep that education alive.
4. The Brain Drain Is Killing Our System
Have you heard of “Japa”? Every day, our best brains are leaving Nigeria. Doctors are leaving, engineers are leaving, and yes, our best lecturers are leaving too.
Why? Because the conditions of service are terrible. A Nigerian professor earns less than a starting teacher in many other African countries. When you treat your intellectuals like beggars, they will leave.
The strikes are a cry for help to stop this brain drain in Nigeria. If we don’t pay our lecturers their Earned Academy Allowance (EAA) and give them good grants for research, we will soon be left with empty offices and unqualified staff teaching our future leaders. This is why we say teachers are better than farmers in terms of intellectual cultivation—you need to feed the minds that build the nation.
5. IPPIS vs. UTAS: The Fight for Autonomy
This point might sound technical, but it is simple. The government tried to force a payment system called IPPIS on universities. But this system doesn’t work for the way universities operate (like paying for sabbatical leave or external examiners).
ASUU developed a better alternative called UTAS (University Transparency and Accountability Solution). It was tested and found to be better, yet the government refused to use it for political reasons.
Fighting for academic autonomy is crucial. You cannot run a university like a civil service ministry. The strike is justified because it resists policies that would cripple the administrative flow of our institutions.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is the strongest argument for the other side? The strongest argument against the strike is the disruption of the academic calendar. Students spend 5 or 6 years on a 4-year course. However, you can counter this by saying a “fast” degree with zero knowledge is useless compared to a slightly delayed but high-quality education.
How do I start my debate to grab attention? Start with a shocker. Ask the audience, “How many of you want to graduate with a certificate that the world respects?” Then tell them that without ASUU’s fight, that certificate becomes worthless paper. You can find more tips on best debate greetings for students on my blog.
Is it true that ASUU strikes happen every year? It feels like it, but it only happens when the government fails to meet a deadline they previously agreed to. It is a reaction, not an action.
Conclusion / Summary
To wrap up, nobody likes strikes. They are painful and frustrating. But when you look at the decaying infrastructure, the government’s refusal to honor the 2009 agreement, and the massive brain drain, you realize that ASUU Strikes Are Justifiable.
It is a painful medicine for a very serious sickness. If we stop the treatment (the strikes) now, the patient (our university system) will surely die.
All sides of a debate are valid. This article supports the proposition for educational purposes and is not a political statement against any government.
What do you think? Are the strikes worth it to save our schools, or is the delay too much? Drop your opinions in the comments section below! Also, feel free to share this post with your coursemates or those in your team!
