Abdulrasheed Akere reports,
Whilst the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) kept at the record-making strike of February 14, 2022, over previous agreements yet to be implemented by the government, a student of the Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto, authored a book, titled ‘Life After Campus’.
The 300-Level Political Science student, Onyilo Micah Ngbede, based the book, which was published on October 2, 2022, on his ASUU strike experiences. Born and bred in the Apa local government area of North-cental Nigeria's Benue state, he is a student writer who is well known by his pen name, 'Alutawriter'.
In an interview with PEN PRESS, Micah said the book was written for students in Nigerian tertiary institutions to have a context of life after school. He noted that the title came as an inspiration whilst meditating amid the strike, adding that he wrote the work as an article before deciding to make it a book.
“The book is solely to find solutions to the challenges facing students in life after school. If they know what life after school is all about, then they would know how best to prepare for it.
“I started writing the book on the 1st of June, 2022. My father singlehandedly sponsored the publication of the book which contains 121 pages. I got the International Standard Book of Number (ISBN) of the book from my publisher— National Library in Abuja,” he added.
However, Micah bemoaned the poor sales of the book. He implored all and sundry to buy the book as it would boost his financial capacity to produce more copies of the book.
“I am highly motivated to write more books. This is just the starting point. The encouragement and support I got from people is enough motivation for me. This is because I have many messages to deliver to my generation and unborn generations, and one of the effective ways to do that is through book writing,” he said.
UDUS Students, Students’ Union React
Isiaq Ibrahim, a 200-Level of Primary Education commended the efforts of the author for publishing a book amid the ASUU strike, noting that the students have lost interest in academics and started chasing money.
He advised the author not to give up, but to keep pushing his pen and always believe the pen will push him to a successful destination.
Another student, Mustapha Abdulafeez Shehu, a 300-level student at the Department of Linguistics, urged every undergraduate to purchase and read the book to have a clue about what life after the campus is like.
“To have a marvellous life after campus, one needs to be serious with learning and exhibit acceptable character while on campus. Alutawiter, continue writing because consistency is part of the route to success,” he encouraged.
Shamsudeen Umar, a 400-Level student of Law, who doubles as the Chairman of the UDUS Students’ Union Caretaker Committee (SU CTC), said that the ASUU strike was boring because the students were not on campus, noting that the experience shared in the book would be beneficial to students after the campus life.
“The union will support the author because it is part of our mandate to encourage and support students in journals. He should reach out to me when he enters campus,” he gave his word.
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