I guess this heading typically relates to how I’m feeling at the moment. On the 14th of February this year, a body known as the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) in my country embarked on a two weeks warning strike due to unpaid salaries and poor infrastructure in Nigerian Universities. This wasn’t a really good news to students at that point. Speaking of myself, I wasn’t so excited about the strike, and I hoped after the warning strike, there needs would be met and we’d resume our schooling.
On the other hand, I stayed back in my school, hoping to resume school activities once the strike is called off. After the two weeks had elapsed, there needs weren’t met and as such, they embarked on an indefinite strike. This led to us going home to our various states and houses. I was dilapidated, didn’t know how to feel. On coming home, I met my family and I totally forgot how bad I felt before I came home.
Well, I had a fun time with my brothers and we’d always stay up late playing video games, eating or doing anything else that was fun. Lest I forget, I also came home to my amazing amazing dog. Her name is Nelly and I love her so much, and actually couldn’t wait to see her and vice versa. She couldn’t contain her excitement on seeing me and I felt delighted.
During the first few months of strike, I had already forgotten about school and was moving on with my life. I resumed my business, which is baking and making pastries. I was doing well and making money. Sometime around june, I got a paid internship from an Indian firm. I felt so fulfilled that I neglected my cake making, this wasn’t intentional as the work I had to do as an intern was so time consuming, stresssing and mentally draining. so I couldn’t have time to do the work of mixing butter, flour and sugar.
After the first month of my work, I received my pay as I should. Not so long after, I realized the Indian firm was somewhat a fraud, so to say, I wouldn’t call them a full-time fraud because I was actually paid. But on the group chat where he had other interns and HRs, I realized that a lot of people were complaining they haven’t been paid and some were owed for a couple of months. I was shocked, I couldn’t fathom how and why I was paid and others weren’t, I mean, they did all that was required of them and some even did better than I did but they weren't still paid.
Well, after months of deliberating, we quit the job and set on to another job hunt. We created a separate chat room
where we communicated, but in the end it was futile. When I realized the damage I had done to my business, I wasn’t so happy about it and I struck harder. Put in more effort and in no time I was back where I had just stopped. I advertised on some media platforms and in no time I started getting some orders for cake. I delivered as usual, no stress.
After 8 months of having fun, moving on with life, feeling like a graduate, traveling to different places, living the dream life and a whole lot of other things. The ASUU decided to call off their long-lasting strike. These were the same people who uploaded a tweet not so long ago, asking Nigerian students to go and start doing something with lives, get a job or a handwork, as there needs have not been met and there was slight chances of resumption this year.
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On the 14th of October, the strike was called off, after a sudden meeting with some government representatives. Well, all I have to say is, I’ve moved mentally, and I don’t know how to feel at this point. I don’t know whether to be happy or sad, some close friends of mine in school have actually left my school for some other private schools in the country. I mean, I’d have to resume and continue school because my future is at stake and I have to go finish what I started, but, on the other hand, staying out of school has made me grow positively in areas I never expected and I think going back to school and resuming school work would make me neglect some of those areas and it’d possibly taint all that I have built.
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Ps: I didn’t come back with my school books because I believe in the school-life/work balance which says; “what happens in school, stays in school”🙂