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The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko (AAUA) branch, has declared an indefinite strike over the state government’s alleged failure to implement the 2025 Federal Government-ASUU agreement.

With the development plunging academic activities at the institution into another round of industrial action, the strike comes barely a week after the union suspended an earlier strike called over unpaid salary backlogs, following the receipt of outstanding payments.

The industrial action also extended to Olusegun Agagu University of Science and Technology (OAUSTECH), Okitipupa, where the union has similarly embarked on an indefinite industrial action over the same issue.

The FGN-ASUU 2025 agreement includes upgraded salary structures alongside a 40 percent salary review for academic staff and payment of accumulated salary arrears, representing a significant financial commitment from the state government.

Meanwhile, the union has directed all members to suspend all academic activities with immediate effect, including final year defenses, school board meetings, departmental meetings, postgraduate teaching and examinations, marking of examinations, and all other academic activities.

Prof. Boluwaji Oshodi, Chairman of ASUU at AAUA, disclosed the decision on Tuesday in Akure, stating that the union had exhausted all avenues of engagement with the state government before arriving at the resolution.

Oshodi expressed concern over the state government’s reluctance to implement the package, noting that several other state governments across the federation had already commenced implementation of the agreement.

According to the AAUA-ASUU Chairman, the union had given sufficient considerations to the state government through several letters and meeting requests but was met with inaction regarding the main agreement.

He emphasized that members would not return to the lecture rooms on mere promises or commitments unless concrete actions were taken by the state government.

“The union has just declared an indefinite, total, and comprehensive strike over the non-implementation of the Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN)/ASUU 2025 agreement. The resolution is that if that agreement is not implemented here, and the arrears from January are not paid, we are not going to resume.”

The union chairman stressed that the academic staff had lost patience with verbal commitments and would only accept reasonable actions from the government.

“We are not ready to listen to anything like commitment again. What we want now is action,” he stated.

Oshodi questioned the disparity in treatment between Ondo State and other states, pointing to the state’s status as an oil-producing region, emphasizing that “Why will our own be different in Ondo State, an oil-producing state?”

The union leader maintained that while members remained open to dialogue, resumption of work would not precede full implementation and payment of all outstanding entitlements.

“The union is always open, but the truth of the matter is that the implementation must commence, and the arrears from January to date must be paid.”

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The National Association of Nigerian Students, Turkish Zone, has appealed to the Senate to extend the Nigeria Education Loan Fund to eligible Nigerians studying in accredited institutions abroad.

The association made the call during an engagement with the Vice Chairman of the Senate Committee on Diaspora and Non-Governmental Organisations, Anthony Siyako Yaro.

In a statement released on Tuesday, NANS President, Turkish Zone, Daniel Okpala, said the delegation sought greater government attention to the welfare and educational financing challenges confronting Nigerian students in the diaspora.

According to Okpala, the increasing number of Nigerians studying overseas requires a corresponding review of government policies on education financing.

“The increasing number of Nigerians pursuing higher education abroad requires corresponding attention from government in its education financing policies,” he said.

NANS specifically called for a review of the existing NELFUND framework to enable qualified Nigerian students enrolled in accredited foreign institutions to benefit from government-backed education loans.

The association said students studying abroad were facing rising financial pressures due to tuition, accommodation costs and exchange rate fluctuations.

It argued that students should not lose access to government educational support solely because they chose to pursue their studies outside Nigeria.

“Nigerian students should not lose government-backed educational support simply because they are pursuing their studies outside the country,” the association said.

NELFUND was established under the Student Loans (Access to Higher Education) (Repeal and Re-enactment) Act, 2024, to provide loans to eligible Nigerians for higher education, vocational training and skills acquisition.

NANS therefore urged the Senate to consider a legislative framework that would extend the scheme to qualified Nigerians studying abroad.

The association described the proposed expansion as “a significant step towards expanding educational opportunities and reducing the financial barriers faced by Nigerian students studying abroad.”

In the response to the statement, Yaro expressed willingness to examine the proposal and explore the appropriate legislative process for broadening the reach of NELFUND.

The senator also acknowledged the need for Nigerians in the diaspora to be adequately represented in national policy and legislative discussions.

The delegation further called for stronger engagement between Nigerian diplomatic missions and student communities, particularly in countries with large Nigerian populations.

The association pledged to continue engaging lawmakers and relevant government institutions on policies affecting the education and welfare of Nigerian students in the diaspora.

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Katsina State Government has stepped up its campaign against banditry with the deployment of 23 Armoured Personnel Carriers (APCs), 200 pickup trucks, motorcycles, drones and other surveillance equipment to security agencies operating across the state.

The security build-up, described by government officials as part of a multidimensional strategy to tackle insecurity, also includes the establishment of a 10,000-member Community Watch Corps to complement the efforts of conventional security forces.

The state government has supplied much of the equipment to the military, police and other security agencies, while also strengthening intelligence gathering and community-based surveillance across the 34 local government areas.

Officials said the acquisition and deployment of the security hardware were being coordinated under the supervision of the Government House, with the objective of improving the capacity of security agencies to respond rapidly to attacks and disrupt bandit operations.

The initiative came against the backdrop of persistent banditry in parts of Katsina, particularly in forested and rocky areas where criminal groups have established hideouts and used difficult terrain to evade security forces.

A major component of the strategy has been increased collaboration with the Nigerian Air Force in intelligence gathering, aerial surveillance and precision operations against bandit camps.

In August 2025, the Air Force raided a bandit hideout at Pauwa Hill in Kankara Local Government Area, rescuing 76 people.

Under Operation Fansan Yamma, the Air Force also destroyed a bandit hideout at Danfako in Faskari Local Government Area in November 2025 following intelligence obtained through surveillance.

The Director of Public Relations and Information of the Nigerian Air Force, Ehimen Ejodame, had said the operation was based on intelligence gathered through surveillance.

According to a statement signed on Tuesday by Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs, Nasir Dan Musa, another major operation was recorded in May 2026 when the Air Force destroyed a logistics hub at Dan-Aji Forest.

Beyond military operations, the state has also intensified surveillance along major highways, including the deployment of officers of the Nigeria Immigration Service to monitor the movement of persons, particularly aliens.

The surveillance is considered important because Katsina shares an international border with the Niger Republic, making its major routes vulnerable to the movement of criminal elements and illegal arms and logistics.

He said the state government has also adopted a security classification system that divides the 34 local government areas into three categories – frontline, vulnerable and crisis-free areas.

Dan Musa, said the classification was designed to ensure that security resources, personnel and equipment were deployed according to the level of threat in each area.

He said; “Eight local government areas – Jibia, Batsari, Safana, Dan Musa, Faskari, Sabuwa, Kankara and Sandamu – have been classified as frontline areas because of the intensity of bandit activities.

“Eleven others are classified as vulnerable, while 15 are regarded as crisis-free”.

Musa explained that the government’s strategy was based on the understanding that banditry was largely community-driven and could not be effectively tackled through the deployment of conventional security forces alone.

He said communities were therefore being placed at the centre of the security architecture through intelligence gathering, surveillance and rapid-response mechanisms.

The Commissioner said the strategy was aimed at disrupting the logistics networks supporting criminal groups and ensuring that intelligence from local communities reached security agencies promptly.

The government, he said has also expanded its engagement with traditional rulers, religious leaders, community leaders, academics and security experts in an effort to improve coordination and strengthen local participation in the fight against insecurity.

“The initiative includes a Security Advisory Committee and a Peace Committee established in each of the 34 local government areas.

“The committees are expected to provide local intelligence, advise on emerging security threats and facilitate engagement between communities and security agencies.

“The deployment of APCs, patrol vehicles, drones and surveillance systems, alongside the Community Watch Corps and community-based intelligence structures, marks a significant expansion of Katsina’s security architecture under Governor Dikko Radda”, he added.

The strategy is designed to combine the firepower and operational capacity of conventional security agencies with the local knowledge and intelligence-gathering capacity of communities in the battle against banditry.