What to do with the ASUU strike

My father was an ASUU member; ASUU strikes began in earnest in the late 1980s. Roughly thirty years on, we are still at it.

— Onye Nkuzi (@cchukudebelu) August 14, 2017

ASUU (the Academic Staff Union of Universities) is on strike again. We have gone from 26,000 LAUTECH students at home to about a million Nigerian students at home or going home soon.

I know what these strikes feel like because I suffered them too. I lost upwards of 12 months to a combination of strikes and school closures during my time in OAU*. I remember the anxiety, the constant checking of newspapers, the false reports of imminent resumption, and the tracking of ASUU meetings.



I have seen a significant number of recent Facebook posts advising (public) university students on making the most of the strike. This one, from my friend Dayo Nigeria nicely summarizes that genre, and I endorse the message. I would just like to advance the discussion a little.

I think our habit of “making lemonade out of lemon even though we prefer oranges” has contributed to our country’s current state. I am not saying we should not make the most of what we are given. In fact, I actively advocate for accepting reality while seeking to change it, and engaging with the world as it is while nudging it in the direction it should be. I think we should make the most of what we are given, AND ask for what we want.

For Tolu… Death is a Bastard (II)

The last time I really spoke to Tolu, I was declining her request to take a picture with just me and asking her to join a group picture instead. During my 2012–2013 NYSC posting at her school, I was very conscious of my position as a teacher and Youth Corps member and was careful to avoid doing anything that could be misconstrued. I saw her after then, at her Valedictory Service in 2015, and she didn’t want a picture with me because “sebi you’ll say no”.

I wish we took that picture she wanted.

The group picture Tolu did not join

Tolu sitting in front of the class

Some Advice to Sellers, from a Buyer

I have worked in Purchasing at P&G since March 2012, and I have written this based on a variety of experiences. This is my perspective, and does not represent P&G’s approach to selecting suppliers. The one example given has been fictionalized, and no identification with actual businesses or individuals should be inferred.

I need to sit and codify what I have learnt from five years of reviewing supplier proposals for P&G.

— Koye (Mogbekeloluwa) (@koyegbeke) July 25, 2017

I tweeted the above a few days ago. I have learnt lots in my various Purchasing roles, and while I have really mulled over the learnings on media strategy, supply-chain value, and procurement systems — I have not thought much about the hundreds of proposals I have reviewed.