• Landowners of revoked 189 Abuja plots receive three months to develop their land
• Appeal Judge: We are being wrongly accused of delaying justice
• Central Bank of Nigeria defaults on payments to banks as US Dollar Rises To ₦1,000
• ASUU urges the Federal government to make good on its payments of 2022 withheld salaries
• President Bola Tinubu establishes a programme for youth employment

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

Landowners of Revoked 189 Abuja plots Receive 3 Months To Develop their land

This was good news for the 189 titleholders who had been given an ultimatum of 3 months to develop their lands.

 They are the embassies of the Canadian High Commission, the Democratic Republic of Congo, France, Ireland, the People’s Republic of Angola, the Philippines, the Republic of Korea, and Tanzania.

These title holders had requested building plans but have yet to begin any development on the lands across the FCT.

On 21 September, the Minister of the FCT revoked the ownership of 165 properties within FCT districts, which were linked and owned by prominent Nigerians, some of whom are politicians and ex-politicians.

Appeal Judge: We are being wrongly accused of delaying justice

A Justice of the Court of Appeal, Binta Zubairu, has stated that the nation is wrongfully accusing them of delaying justice.

Zubairu said Judges work collectively with prosecutors, lawyers, and others; hence, they should not be blamed for delayed justice. She said this at an occasion created to celebrate her elevation as an Appeal Court Judge in Zaira, Kaduna State.

“We don’t talk, and nobody speaks for us; the speedy dispensation of justice requires the prompt efforts of police, prosecution, assembling of exhibits, and the lawyers,” she asserted.

She reassured her audience that the judges are not always to be blamed for the delay as sometimes it could be the Police officers carrying out an ongoing investigation, the lawyers coming up with excuses, or a judge might have taken ill.

“As justices, we could not be heard as such, and all the blame is shifted to us; even the police, while investigating a simple case, would take them a long time to come up with the report of their investigation,” she said.

Central Bank of Nigeria Defaults on Payments to Banks as US Dollar Rises To ₦1,000

Reports have found that over two weeks ago when the Central Bank of Nigeria declared its intention of clearing a $10 billion foreign exchange debt owed to Deposit Money Bank, the CBN was allegedly yet to do as it proclaimed.

The previous acting CBN Governor, Folashodun Shonubi, announced on September 6 that the apex bank had made all negotiations regarding its dollar debts with commercial banks.

Therefore, all foreign exchange backlogs would be dissolved within a week or two. However, that is yet to happen as news of the dollar being sold at the rate of ₦990/$ and ₦995/$ at the Bureau De Change channels came flooding in while the naira appreciated to ₦747.76/$ on the Investor and Exporter forex window.

According to Shonubi, deposit money banks have aided the CBN in clearing most of its unpaid FX forward contracts at maturity; therefore, the apex bank had concluded to repay its lenders shortly.

A report by the US-based lending firm JP Morgan suggested that the CBN owed the firm about $6.84 billion. However,  the apex bank has debunked this report.

ASUU urges the Federal government to make good on its payments of 2022 withheld salaries

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has demanded that the Nigerian federal government give the union what it has been owed since 2022: their salaries.

Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke, the National President of ASUU, disclosed that the union believed the government would pay their withheld salaries, but there have been no words on that front.

This reaction follows the increased percentage of wages across all government-owned tertiary levels and institutions.

In 2022, the previous president, Muhammadu Buhari, refused to pay ASUU members due to the strike they declared in disagreement with FG’s ruling concerning education and salary payments.

President Bola Tinubu establishes a programme for youth employment

 President Tinubu has recently launched the National Talent Export Programme to fortify the country’s foreign exchange revenue, thereby creating nearly a million in-demand jobs throughout the country for the next five years.

Representing the president at the inauguration of the programme was the Minister of Industry, Trade, and Investment, Dr. Doris Uzoka-Anite, who launched the programme on the sidelines of the UNGA78 in New York, USA.

The Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Ajuri Ngelale, revealed a statement that announced the president’s intentions.

“The new initiative seeks to position Nigeria as an export hub for talent outsourcing in Africa following the example of India, Bangladesh, Mexico and The Philippines,” the statement read.

The president’s representative, Dr. Doris Udoka-Anite, believed that the National Talent Export programme was a critical foundation for the Special Purpose Vehicle, which would push Nigeria to become a leading global hub in service exports, talent exports, and sourcing.

“The programme will emphasise enhancing competitiveness, fostering innovation, and driving sustainable growth through trade in services,” she said.

“This initiative will do three things for us as a country. One, it will create millions of jobs for our young people over the next five years and beyond. Second, it will bring in foreign exchange that our economy needs through remittances from talents that will be exported abroad and those that will be living in Nigeria and working remotely for organisations outside Nigeria. Thirdly, it will generate huge tax income for state governments,” she continued.