On Friday, October 14, the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) ended its eight-month strike. And here is a rundown of events that transpired throughout the strike.

1. Health Challenge: Presidential Candidates Edition: It is officially election season. And presidential candidates are doing all they can to prove to Nigerians that they are ‘strong and ready to serve’. After multiple inquiries into the whereabouts of Bola Ahmed Tinubu, presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), he shared a video of himself cycling on October 2 as proof of life. Atiku Abubakar, presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and Adams Oshiomole, ex-APC national chairman, followed suit with similar videos.

Many have said I have died; others claim I have withdrawn from the presidential campaign.

Well… Nope.

This is the reality: I am strong, I am healthy and I am READY to serve Nigerians from Day One.#BAT23 pic.twitter.com/qqPkgSDYjs

— Bola Ahmed Tinubu (@officialABAT) October 2, 2022

2. Floods: The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) may have been held back by unmet conditions, but Cameroon’s Lagdo dam was not. Despite Cameroon informing Nigeria prior, the opening of the Lagdo dam on September 13, coupled with rainfall, has led to great floods across Nigeria’s 36 states, displacing thousands of people, with at least 300 lives lost.

READ ALSO: PHOTOS: Submerged Buildings, Floating Vehicles. Nigeria’s Ongoing Flooding Disaster

3. Owo Church Massacre: A terror attack on St. Francis Catholic Church, Owo, Ondo State, on June 5 left at least 40 people dead. The terrorists reportedly besieged the church for about 30 minutes without facing any resistance.

4. Boris Johnson’s Resignation: Bojo finally resigned as Britain’s prime minister on July 7, after the resignation of over 60 of his cabinet members and several votes of no confidence in his administration as PM.

5. The OSCAR Slap: This was a major highlight of the 94th Academy Awards held on March 28. Hollywood actor Will Smith slapped Chris Rock on live TV after Rock made a joke about Smith’s wife being bald.

6. Kuje Prison Break: On July 13, the custodial centre at Kuje was attacked by suspected terrorists, and over 800 inmates, 68 of which were Boko Haram terrorists, were said to have escaped, but DCP Abba Kyari made sure to abide by the law and remained in the custodial centre.

7. Kaduna-Abuja Train Attack: Terrorists attacked over 100 passengers on an Abuja-Kaduna-bound train on March 28, resulting in the loss of Dr Chinelo Megafu, who first alerted the public to the attack when she went on social media to ask for help after being shot. Survivors were held hostage and released in batches after paying a ransom until October 5, when the seven-man presidential committee of the Chief of Defence Staff (CDSAC) announced the safe release of all remaining train attack hostages.

8. Retirement: Tennis Edition: Serena Williams and Roger Federer, two of the greatest tennis players of all time, both announced their retirement in September. On September 2, Williams announced her ‘evolution’ in a tearful speech in which she thanked her family for their support throughout her 27-year professional tennis career. Federer, on the other hand, shared an emotional farewell moment with rival turned teammate Rafael Nadal during his speech after the pair lost the Laver Cup games on September 24, which was Federer’s last game.

All the Fedal feelings.#LaverCup pic.twitter.com/WKjhcADFoe

— Laver Cup (@LaverCup) September 24, 2022

9. Funke Akindele and JJC Skillz’ Divorce: Musician JJC Skillz announced news of his divorce with Nollywood actress, Funke Akindele, in an Instagram post on July 4. He also mentioned that he was asked to leave their home by Akindele, sparking outrage on social media.

10. Queen Elizabeth’s Death: ‘Operation London Bridge’: A new queen is in town, and he is a man. Queen Elizabeth II passed away on Thursday, September 8 in Balmoral at the age of 96. After the Queen’s death, the widely rumoured ‘Operation London Bridge’ which was a proceeding for what happens after the Queen’s death, was unfurled. Queen Elizabeth was the longest-serving monarch of the United Kingdom. Following her death, her son, Charles III, became King of the United Kingdom.

11. Fighting Corruption: Presidential Pardon Edition: Rehabilitation is to bandits what presidential pardons are to former Plateau and Taraba state governors Joshua Dariye and Jolly Nyame, respectively On Thursday, April 14, President Muhammadu Buhari approved the pardon of 159 convicts, among whom were the former governors.

While Nyame was serving a 12-year jail sentence for diverting N1.64bn during his time as governor of Taraba, Dariye was serving a 10-year sentence for N1.126bn fraud. The governors were released from the Kuje Custodial Centre on August 8.

12. Tompolo, the Discoverer: Oil Theft Edition: Government Ekpemupolo, alias Tompolo, an ex-militant from the Niger Delta, was awarded a 48 billion naira contract by the federal government to combat oil theft. Since operations began in October, Tompolo’s security outfit, Tantita Security Service, has discovered 58 illegal tapping points on oil pipelines.

13. Nnamdi Kanu Cleared of Terrorism Charges: Leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) was acquitted of the terrorism charges filed against him by the federal government on October 13.

14. The New CJN on The Block: On Wednesday, October 13, Olukayode Ariwoola was sworn in as the substantive Chief Justice of Nigeria. Ariwoola was appointed acting CJN on June 27 following the retirement of Justice Tanko Mohammed.

15. Russia-Ukraine War: After repeated denials of plans to invade Ukraine, Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, forcing thousands of Ukrainians and immigrants, including Nigerian students, to flee and seek refuge in neighbouring nations like Poland, and even repatriate to Nigeria.

READ ALSO: Nigerian Students Fleeing Ukraine Stranded at Poland Border

16. Tobi Amusan Became Nigeria’s First World Record Holder: Nigeria’s Tobi Amusan became the first Nigerian to win the gold at the World Athletics and break a world record. At a record speed of 12.2 seconds, Amusan won the women’s world 100m hurdles at the World Athletics Championships in Eugene, Oregon, USA on July 24.

17. Arsenal Topping the Premier League: Arsenal currently sits atop the Premier League table, having won eight out of their nine matches this season. While the season is not yet over, it is worth noting that Arsenal last won the league championship in 2003. It is the first time since the 2007-08 season that Arsenal have won at least eight of their first nine league matches in the top-flight.

18. William Ruto Becomes Kenya’s President: On August 15, William Ruto, former deputy president of Kenya, was declared winner of the August 9 general elections. However, following a challenge to the electoral process, Ruto’s victory was upheld on September 5 by Kenya’s Supreme Court.

19. PVC Collection: INEC began distributing Permanent Voters’ Cards (PVC) in August. Currently, all PVCs registered between January 16 and June 30 are available for pickup through the end of October.

20. Deborah Samuel, Murdered for Blasphemy: Deborah Samuel, a 200-level Economics student at Shehu Shaghari College, was stoned to death by a mob on Thursday, May 12 for alleged blasphemy against the prophet Muhammad.

21. Aisha Buhari Celebrated Daughter-In-Law’s Graduation Abroad: While ASUU continued its strike, Aisha Muhammadu Buhari, Nigeria’s First Lady, showed her support for education by sharing hearty images of her daughter-in-law’s graduation on a Facebook post shared on September 20.