Photo: Adeniyi and Wike during the visit.
Wike okays Customs CG’s request for land to build staff schools
Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Nyesom Wike has promised to allocate land for the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) to enable it to build its staff schools.
Wike made the promise when the Comptroller-General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi, paid him an official visit in his office in Abuja.
Adeniyi, who congratulated Wike on his appointment as FCT Minister by President Bola Tinubu, said that the visit was in line with the CGC’s commitment to strengthening collaboration with Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs).
He said: “One of the reasons for our visit is to congratulate you on your appointment as FCT Minister.
“FCT holds a pivotal position in Nigeria, and I believe that by getting it right in FCT, we can get it right in Nigeria.”
“We anticipate transparency and integrity, and we believe that Nigerians will look forward to a smart and proud FCT.”
The CGC explained the core mandates of the NCS to the minister to include revenue generation, curbing smuggling, and facilitating trade while noting the significant activities in port areas and other service formations.
He emphasized the need for policies to support the service in fulfilling its mandates in the FCT, considering the substantial presence of over 2,500 service personnel in Abuja.
He pointed out that the NCS was facing a big challenge of sending the children of Customs personnel to private schools in the city and appealed to the Minister to allocate land to for the construction of primary and secondary schools for the children of Customs personnel in Abuja.
Responding, Wike expressed appreciation for the visit and assured the CGC of his willingness to allocate land for building facilities that would serve the service’s needs.
The Minister, who assured the CGC of his unflinching support to make his tenure a successful one, also said his Ministry had recently received the NCS’s letter of request for land allocation – which, according to him, would be approved in due course.
He said, “Our policy, like that of Nigeria Customs Service, is to generate revenue to carry out projects in Abuja, but considering the good intentions of the CGC to establish schools to ensure quality education, we’re ready to approve NCS’ request.”
He also urged the Customs Legal Adviser and the Federal Capital Territory Authority to fine-tune all the legal modalities to accelerate the process.
