Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has told officials of the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) to step up efforts to reduce the number of out-of-school children.
Wike spoke when the commission’s secretary, Dr Hamid Bobboyi and other members visited him in Abuja yesterday.
He told the officials to be committed to areas of school construction and renovation as being experienced in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) under his watch.
The minister said the initiative would help to tackle the menace of some children roaming the streets, constituting threat to security.
Wike while responding to a land request by the commission’s officials, said the FCT Administration would not give land to people to sell or not develop, but to genuine people with proven capacity to commence work on the land.
The minister regretted that most people after getting land allocation from the administration would keep it for years without development or even sell it to others.
“We can give land only to people with proven capacity to commence immediate development, not for people to go and either sale it or keep it for years without commencing development.
“When you request for land and you are given, start work on it, this will help in combating illegal activities on the land especially hoodlums from converting such areas to their houses.
“UBEC should be concerned with resolving the issue of out-of-school children, insecurity can’t be resolved if children remain at home and are allowed to be roaming in the street,” he said.
Earlier, the executive secretary of UBEC, Dr Hamid Bobboyi, said the visit was to remind the minister about the land request sent to the minister.
Bobboyi urged the Wike o help officials of the commission to have a place where they would live after retirement.
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