The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike on Thursday gave an immediate waiver of fees for the Certificate of Occupancy (C of O) for the Nigerian Law School’s Abuja campus.
Wike revealed this during a meeting with the institution’s management in Abuja.
He also declared an “Emergency” on the construction of staff quarters and other critical infrastructure to enhance the institution’s learning environment.
The FCT Minister while responding to an appeal from the Director-General of the Nigerian Law School, Dr.
Olugbemisola Titilayo Odusote, expressed surprise that the institution had operated without a C of O since moving to Bwari.
According to the FCT Minister, “Luckily, the Department of Land is t/here. We are going to waive the fee for C of O for you immediately. But it’s quite unfortunate that since the time they moved the law school to Bwari, they don’t have the C of O. So you’re occupying an illegal institution. I was thinking the first thing the government would have done as the school was coming in was to give you a C of O to show that you are a rightful owner”.
He described the lack of official documentation for government institutions as a trend that his administration is actively correcting.
He noted, “It’s not only you. I think even the Department of State Services, the SSS, they just got their C of O. That’s not encouraging at all”.
The Minister directed the Director of Lands to waive all processing fees for the school’s C of O, and issued a firm directive to ensure the document is processed and ready within one week.
He noted that regularizing the land is essential to move the school from what he colloquially termed an “illegal session” to rightful ownership.
Beyond land matters, the Minister committed the FCT Administration (FCTA) to several high-priority projects aimed at resolving overcrowding and improving staff efficiency.
Wike announced that 10 staff quarters have already been completed and will be commissioned as part of the President’s third anniversary. He further pledged to construct an additional 10 units using existing prototypes to save on design costs.
According to him, work is progressing on two new hostels—one for male students and one for female students—to alleviate overcrowding.
The Minister confirmed he has approved the budget for a new auditorium and questioned why the contractor had not yet moved to the site.
To modernize administrative functions, Wike directed the school to liaise with the FCTA General Counsel, Salman Dako, to explore digitization solutions similar to on-going efforts at the FCT High Court.
Minister Wike emphasized that these interventions are part of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s broader agenda to support legal education and the judiciary.
He noted that the President is currently constructing “presidential apartments” for judges to ensure their security, welfare, and autonomy.
“Anything we can do to help our children, we are willing to do that,” Wike stated.
He also added that the staff quarters must be treated as an emergency project to ensure rapid delivery.
Dr. Odusote congratulated the Minister on his appointment and praised the visible infrastructure developments across the FCT, while highlighting the specific challenges of disrepair and infrastructure deficits facing the Law School.
