ASUU Strike Cripples Economies of University Communities

The president of the Nigerian Association of Agricultural Economist (NAAE), Professor Job Nmadu has said the 9 month strike action embarked upon by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has impacted negatively on the university Communities by crippling their economies.

Nmadu, a professor at the Federal University of Technology, Minna said those affected are not less than 20 million including traders, landlords, hoteliers, transporters and many others.

“With Covid-19 lockdown, the impactof the stroke was not initially felt at the national level.

“However, stakeholders in the university communities including traders, landlords, transporters and many others started feeling the pinch of the strike almost immediately

“The strike battered the economy of the communities with a population of about 20 million people,” he said.

He said the joining the Strike with Covid-19 pandemic, Crude Oil price crash, violent crimes, #ENDSARS protest, flood among others are what contributed negatively to the country’s economy.

He, however hoped 2021 is a year of economic recovery.

“Nigeria was no doubt stressed in 2020 but those stressors must be removed in 2021. The year is crucial to economic recovery of Nigeria.

“This is to ensure steady and sustainable economic growth as well as well-planned industrial development so as to attain 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).A reformed economic team would ensure that prices of goods and services are brought down to at least 50 percent their current rate,” he concluded.