Wike Promises Customs Land To Build Staff School 

The Minister of Federal Capital Territory, Chief Nyesom Wike, has promised to allocate a plot of land to the Nigerian Customs Service (NCS) to build a staff school in Abuja.
The Minister also rejected entreaties by the Service to reconsider his revocation of its land.
The former Rivers State Governor, who spoke recently when he received a delegation of the NCS, led by Comptroller-General, Bashir Adeniyi, in his office, said the new policy of the administration is that any agency seeking land in the territory would undertake to develop it within a specified time or have the land revoked.
“Frankly speaking, we will look at it and see what we can do. Whether you are going to pay a penalty, you will pay a penalty. That is what we are going to do.
“Be rest assured that I am going to approve the land for the school. You bring the application, I will sign it, and give it to the Director of Lands to give you the land that you can use.
“Schools are very important. It is not only the children of customs officers that will attend the schools.
“My policy now is that before we give land to any agency, it must commit that it will develop the land within a certain number of years, and if not, the FCT should take back the land.
“I will not allocate land that will lie fallow till thy kingdom come. So, you must convince me that you are indeed serious about building schools for the children of your staff and our children”, Wike said.
He also said the approval would be on the condition that the Customs boss agrees to pay the ground rent as and when due, adding that there would be no given notice for the payment of ground rents.
Earlier, Acting Comptroller General, Bashir Adeniyi, said the purpose of the visit was to congratulate Wike on his appointment as FCT Minister, and his achievements so far.
Describing the NCS as a critical stakeholder in the FCT, Adeniyi said about 2,500 officers live and contribute to the development of the FCT.
He, however, lamented that officers’ children could not access public schools and were under pressure at private schools, hence, the request for a land to build primary and secondary schools for children of staff.