The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Zamfara State University branch, has declared an indefinite strike over what it described as the failure of the university management and relevant authorities to address its longstanding demands concerning staff welfare, salaries, promotions and working conditions.

The branch chairman, Comrade Anas Abubakar Dogo, announced the decision in a statement, explaining that the industrial action would commence at midnight on November 13, 2026.

Dogo said the decision followed the expiration of an initial two-week ultimatum issued to the university management, which was subsequently extended by another three weeks, bringing the total period of the ultimatum to five weeks.

According to him, the union had also embarked on a one-week warning strike in an effort to compel the authorities to address its grievances, but the failure to resolve the outstanding issues had left the branch with no option but to proceed with an indefinite strike.

The ASUU chairman listed several challenges confronting the university, including the absence of official student accommodation, inadequate staff housing, poor remuneration and the non-implementation of the Federal Government-ASUU agreement.

He lamented that students of the institution had no official university hostel, while members of staff were also without adequate accommodation, describing the situation as a major challenge to the effective administration and development of the university.

Dogo further accused the university authorities of failing to implement the Federal Government-ASUU agreement in its entirety, including the payment of outstanding arrears owed to academic staff.

The union also expressed dissatisfaction over the non-payment of promotion arrears, noting that the failure to implement staff promotions and their accompanying financial benefits had continued to undermine the morale of lecturers.

On staffing, the ASUU chairman raised concerns over the shortage of academic personnel, disclosing that some departments had only one tenured academic staff member, while others had none.

He warned that the situation was affecting the university’s academic capacity and could undermine the quality of teaching, research and other academic activities.

The union also described Zamfara State University as a training ground for academic staff, alleging that many lecturers were leaving the institution for other universities where better remuneration and improved working conditions were available.

Dogo disclosed that many academic staff members earned monthly salaries ranging from N96,000 to N120,000, a situation he said was inadequate and had contributed to the institution’s difficulty in retaining qualified lecturers.

He consequently demanded the full implementation of the Federal Government-ASUU agreement in all its provisions, including the settlement of all outstanding arrears.

The union also demanded the implementation of staff promotions and the payment of all accumulated promotion arrears.

The ASUU chairman stated that all academic activities on the university campus would remain suspended throughout the period of the industrial action.

He urged the relevant authorities to address the union’s demands to facilitate a resolution of the dispute and ensure the resumption of academic activities.

The Tinubu Movement for Sustainable Governance Foundation (TMS), popularly known as Tinubu Must Stay, has described the large turnout that greeted President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s campaign visit to Jigawa State as an indication of growing grassroots support for his administration and re-election bid ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Speaking at the rally in Dutse, TMS Director of Special Duties, Dr. Usman Baita Elleman, said the enthusiasm displayed by residents demonstrated what the movement considers increasing acceptance of the President’s economic policies despite the hardship and criticism that accompanied their introduction.

“The rally was very beautiful. People came out in their numbers to show solidarity with the President and the governor. From what we saw today, there is no doubt that President Tinubu enjoys enormous support in Jigawa State and across Northern Nigeria,” Elleman said.

He said members of TMS, led nationally by Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, who hails from Jigawa State, participated prominently in the mobilisation, with the movement displaying banners, billboards and other campaign materials across the state.

Elleman said TMS would intensify its campaign to explain the rationale behind some of the administration’s most consequential policies, particularly the removal of petrol subsidy.

According to him, although the reforms have imposed short-term hardship, they were introduced to address structural economic problems and place public finances on a more sustainable footing.

“We are telling Nigerians the facts about these policies. Some of the decisions may be painful, but they are aimed at putting the country on a sustainable path,” he said.

He also cited the student loan programme and other interventions targeted at young Nigerians as initiatives the movement would highlight during its grassroots engagements.

Beyond conventional political mobilisation, Elleman said TMS had been organising sensitisation and empowerment programmes for small-scale entrepreneurs, combining political advocacy with community-level interventions.

He said the movement would sustain its public enlightenment and grassroots mobilisation as political activities intensify ahead of the 2027 elections.

Tinubu Says Reforms Beginning to Gain Acceptance

Addressing supporters at the Dutse Township Stadium, President Tinubu defended his administration’s economic reforms, arguing that the policies were beginning to produce results and gain wider public acceptance.

The President maintained that petrol subsidy removal was irreversible and rejected suggestions by political opponents that the subsidy regime could be restored sustainably.

“To those who say subsidy is coming back, it’s a lie. Don’t let them lie to you again. It is not going to come back,” Tinubu told supporters.

He argued that the subsidy had consumed substantial public resources that could instead be directed towards infrastructure, agriculture, education and social development.

“We have to think about the future of our children. The money must be invested in areas that will create prosperity and opportunities for all Nigerians,” he said.

President Promises Mechanised Farming Centres, Interest-Free Loans

Turning to agriculture, Tinubu announced plans to expand government support for farmers through interest-free financing and mechanised farming service centres across the country’s six geopolitical zones.

“We have to invest in agriculture. There will be interest-free loans for farmers. Prosperity is coming. Food security will happen,” he said.

The President also pledged further investments in electricity, skills acquisition, youth empowerment, job creation and support for small and medium-sized enterprises.

On security, he said the Federal Government was strengthening the operational capacity and welfare of security agencies to improve their ability to tackle criminality.

Tinubu also described the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) as an important instrument for expanding access to higher education and tackling poverty, pledging to broaden opportunities for young Nigerians.

Shettima Highlights Northern Infrastructure

Vice-President Kashim Shettima, who also addressed the rally, said ongoing investments in infrastructure and agriculture demonstrated the administration’s commitment to Northern Nigeria.

He cited projects including the Kano-Maiduguri Road, Kano-Maradi railway and Kwanar Danja-Hadejia Road, urging residents to assess the administration on its development record.

APC campaign officials similarly described the turnout as evidence of the party’s continued political strength in the North.

TMS members were visibly involved in mobilisation at the rally, which attracted supporters from Jigawa and beyond.

For the movement, the Dutse gathering forms part of a wider strategy combining support for Tinubu’s re-election with policy sensitisation, community engagement and economic empowerment as Nigeria moves closer to the 2027 general elections.

By Yusuf Danjuma Yunusa

The Senator representing Abia North, Orji Kalu, has disclosed that he previously traded in heavy weapons internationally, saying he sold arms to buyers who could afford them before abandoning the business at his parents’ insistence.

Kalu made the disclosure during an interview on Arise Television on Monday, while discussing his longstanding relationships with former and current South African leaders.

The former Abia State governor said his business interests previously extended beyond Nigeria, adding that he dealt in heavy weapons sold from one country to another.

When asked by the interviewer whether he was an arms dealer, Kalu responded, “Yes, so I stopped because my…”

Explaining why he abandoned the business, he said his parents asked him to quit.

“But my parents, my mother, my father came and said I must stop, and I stopped,” he said.

Asked whether he sold weapons to people who intended to use them to kill others, Kalu dismissed the suggestion, insisting that his interest was making money.

“No, no, no, no, no, no. I was selling guns to make money, whether they blow up it’s not my business,” he said.

The interviewer subsequently asked whether he supplied weapons to the African National Congress during the struggle against apartheid in South Africa.

Kalu denied selling exclusively to the ANC, saying his customers included anyone willing to pay for the weapons.

“No, I was selling to anybody who wants to buy. If you have the money, you want to buy in D.R.C, I sell to you, you want to buy in Namibia, you want to buy…” he said.