• The federal government makes diesel VAT-free for the next six months
• Tinubu promises a monthly wage fee of ₦35,000 to Nigeria
• NITDA requests that cybersecurity and digital literacy be taught  in schools as crime rises
• SERAP files lawsuit against the 36 state governors for 72 billion fuel subsidy palliative
• Abia state government ordered to pay restitution fee of ₦771 million to owners of demolished buildings

Across Nigeria’s 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, these are the five top Nigerian news stories you shouldn’t miss.

The federal government makes diesel VAT-free for the next six months

In light of Independence Day, the federal government has announced that it will forfeit the VAT (Value Added Tax) placed on diesel for the next six months to reduce the consequence of the removal of fuel subsidy.

The Nigeria Labour Congress and Trade Union Congress had warned since the beginning of September that they would go on an indefinite strike if the government could not respond to their needs, which was the reduction of fuel prices.

On Sunday, October 1, in a bid to stop the NLC and TUC from dismantling the economy by going on strike,  the federal government introduced the waiving of diesel VAT for the next six months.

After meeting with the unions, both parties concluded on an amicable solution, with the organised labour declaring that it was willing to discuss it with the NEC (National Executive Council).

Tinubu promises a monthly wage fee of ₦35,000 to Nigeria

On Independence Day, Tinubu shared with Nigerians his plans to discourage the NLC from going on strike on October 3.

The President of Nigeria earlier announced that a fee of ₦25,000 would be given to low-grade workers in the country for the next six months to help them withstand the impact of inflation due to the fuel subsidy removal.

This solution was not suitable for the people as they wondered why the palliative would not be for every Nigerian, which is why, later that day, the presidency reviewed the previous announcement, increasing the palliative fee to ₦35,000 rather than ₦25,000.

On Sunday, the federal government and the NLC called a meeting to discuss stopping all plans of going on a strike and weakening the economy.

The Chief of Staff to the president, Femi Gbajamiala, announced the outcome of the union meeting, saying that a better solution for Nigerian workers had been chosen.

“A lot of issues were addressed, issues that concern the Nigerian worker. I can’t begin to reel them out here. But I am happy to say that after four hours, we have reached certain agreements for the benefit of the Nigerian worker,” the Chief of Staff explained.

“There was a lot of chatter on Twitter about the issue of low-income workers only falling into the category of the wage bill. They spotted that, and we communicated that to Mr. President, and he quickly agreed that all categories of workers will be given the wage bill. There’s nothing like low-income, mid-income, or high-income. I think that’s worthy of clarification tonight.” he said.

He also mentioned the production of Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) buses, which will aid with the reduction of transport fees. These buses are expected to be released to the public before the year’s end.

NITDA requests that cybersecurity and digital literacy be taught  in schools as crime rises

The Director-General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Kashifu Inuwa, announced that in an age of growing crime rates, it would be essential to have cybersecurity and digital literacy in school curriculums.

He stated that due to the increasing reliance on the internet,  it is not out of the question that understanding online security would be an essential skill for young people.

In a statement by the Director-General, he said that empowering young minds was a valuable task as they could also protect themselves and their work much better when they know how to operate the internet.

“We really must include cybersecurity and digital literacy in our curricula. Not only should young people learn how to code, but also how to keep themselves and their work safe online,” he said.

SERAP files lawsuit against the 36 state governors for ₦72 billion fuel subsidy palliative

Over the weekend, the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) filed a lawsuit against the 36 state governors at the Federal High Court, Lagos, over their inability to account for the ₦72 billion palliative given to them by the Federal Government.

President Tinubu recently shared ₦2 billion of the proposed ₦5 billion palliative package to all the states and the FCT as a means of lessening the impact felt by the civilians due to the fuel subsidy removal.

However, in the lawsuit, SERAP demands that the state governments provide an account of what the palliative package was used for if the people were never given anything.

In its suit, SERAP requested the list of beneficiaries and what was provided to the less privileged Nigerians.

The organisation also hoped that the Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) and Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) would participate in this investigation as they uncovered how the money sent to state governments was spent.

Abia state government ordered to pay restitution fee of ₦771 million to owners of demolished buildings

The governor of Abia State, Dr Alex Otti, has revealed that the state government was being ordered to pay ₦771 million restitution fee to owners of 130 demolished structures during the government’s plans to create an expansion of 3.5 km road leading to Okpara Square in its capital, Umuahia.

The governor disclosed this information at an event called ‘Maiden Monthly Media Interaction.’ However, he did not fully detail how much each demolished structure was worth; he capped it all at ₦771 million.

Although the destruction of those said structures began last week Wednesday, they have been halted till the governor pays the restitution fee to the affected owners of the buildings.

So far, traditional rulers have revealed that some of their subjects have begun receiving compensation payments for their demolished structures.