Wike rejects Customs request to reclaim revoked land in FCT

The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has rejected the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) move to reclaim its revoked land in the nation’s capital.

The minister spoke when the agency officers led by the acting Comptroller-General, Adewale Adeniyi, visited him on Thursday in Abuja.

The Customs was among agencies, organisations, and individuals whose plots were revoked by the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) for failure to develop their lands in September.

Adeniyi requested land to build primary and secondary schools for the children of 2,000 Customs officers residing in the FCT.

In his remark, Wike said the FCTA would support the service to achieve its aims and objectives, but lamented how government agencies were allocated land in FCT and refused to develop them.

READ ALSO: FCT Minister Wike debunks reports he’s promoting anti-Islamic policies

He said: “I read your letter on the revoked land, very bad; very bad; very bad, but what do I do?”

The minister, however, promised to consider the Customs’ request for land to build schools on the condition that the agency would develop the land within a specific period.

“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 developed, the FCT should take back the land.

“I will not allocate land that will lay to thy kingdom come. So, you must convince me that you are indeed really serious about building schools for the children of your staff and our children,” Wike added.

Join the conversation

Opinions

Support Ripples Nigeria, hold up solutions journalism

Balanced, fearless journalism driven by data comes at huge financial costs.

As a media platform, we hold leadership accountable and will not trade the right to press freedom and free speech for a piece of cake.

If you like what we do, and are ready to uphold solutions journalism, kindly donate to the Ripples Nigeria cause.

Your support would help to ensure that citizens and institutions continue to have free access to credible and reliable information for societal development.

Donate Now