The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has rejected the Nigeria Customs Service request for reconsideration over its revoked land by the FCT Administration.
Wike spoke when Customs officers, led by the acting Comptroller-General, Adewale Adeniyi, visited him.
During the visit in Abuja on Thursday, the Minister said that reconsideration would attract a huge penalty.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the NCS was among agencies, organisations and individuals whose plots were revoked by the FCTA for failure to develop their lands.
Adeniyi requested land to build primary and secondary schools for the children of the more than 2,000 customs officers residing in the FCT.
Wike said: “I read your letter on the revoked land.
“Very bad.
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“Very bad.
“Very bad.
“But what do I do?
Wike said the FCTA would support the Service to achieve its aims and objectives, but lamented how government agencies were allocated land in the FCT and refused to develop them.
On the land for school development, the Minister assured the Customs boss that it would be considered, but on the condition that the agency would pledge to develop the land within a specific period.
Failure to comply, the Minister said, the land would be revoked.
Wike said: “Schools, 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 till 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.”
Another condition, according to the Minister, is for the service to pay ground rent as when due.
He added: “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 the land that you can use.”
Earlier, the Customs boss said that the visit was to congratulate Wike on his appointment as the FCT Minister and the outstanding works he had done so far.
Adeniyi described the Customs Service as a critical stakeholder in the FCT with more than 2,000 officers residing there and contributing to the development of the city.
He, however, said that not all the officers’ children could access public schools, stressing the need to provide quality education to their children.
He, therefore, requested for land to build primary and secondary schools for the children of the officers.