L-R: The Comptroller-General of the Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, and the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, Barr. Nyesom Wike, when the Customs CG visited the FCT Minister, yesterday.
Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service, on Thursday 19, October 2023 paid an official visit to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, as part of activities to strengthen collaborations with Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) in the country.
During the interaction, the CGC congratulated Wike on his appointment as FCT Minister by President Ahmad Bola Tinubu GCFR.
He stated, “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 elaborated on the core mandates of the Nigeria Customs Service, which encompass 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 the challenge of sending the children of Customs personnel to private schools in the city.
To ameliorate the problem, Adeniyi made a compassionate appeal to the Minister for the allocation of land to enable the construction of primary and secondary schools for the children of Customs personnel in Abuja.
Responding, the FCT Minister, Nyesome Wike expressed appreciation for the visit and assured the Customs Boss of his commitment to allocate land for facilities that will 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 Nigeria Customs Service’s letter of request for land allocation – which, according to him, will be approved in due course.
Wike said, “Our policies, 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.
