FCT MINISTER WAIVES C OF O FEES FOR NIGERIAN LAW SCHOOL

…PLEDGES DIGITAL INFRASTRUCTURE AND MORE HOUSING SUPPORT

By: RABI MUSA UMAR

In a decisive step to support legal education, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Barr. Ezenwo Nyesom Wike has announced the immediate waiver of Certificate of Occupancy (C of O) fees for the Nigerian Law School’s Bwari campus, while pledging further infrastructure and digital interventions.

The Minister made the disclosure on Thursday, April 23, 2026 when he received a delegation from the Nigerian Law School, led by its Director-General, Olugbemisola Titilayo Odusote, on a courtesy visit to his office.

During the visit, the DG had highlighted the challenges facing the Bwari campus, and requested a waiver for outstanding land fees, even as she also sought the Minister’s assistance in modernizing the school’s operations.

In a swift response, Barr. Nyesom Wike approved the waiver for the school’s Certificate of Occupancy (CofO) and directed the Land Administration Department to ensure that the document is processed and delivered within one week.

The Minister who expressed surprise that the institution was built on a land without C of O, said the trend where government institutions lack official land documentation was one of the issues the FCTA is addressing in its land reforms.

“We are going to waive the C of O fee for you immediately. So, you will soon have your certificate of occupancy”, the Minister assured.

To address accommodation challenges, the Minister also pledged the provision of 10 additional housing units for the staff of the Nigerian Law School. Recall that 10 units of staff quarters were already being built in addition to the ongoing work on two new hostels for male and female students.

Responding to the DG’s request for enhanced classroom teaching solutions, the Minister expressed readiness to facilitate the digitization of the school’s business processes, moving from manual to computerized operations to improve administrative efficiency,

He directed the Law School to engage the FCTA General Counsel on the digitisation of operations, drawing from ongoing reforms at the FCT High Court.

The Minister stressed that the interventions align with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s broader agenda for strengthening legal education and judicial welfare and reaffirmed the FCT Administration’s commitment to the advancement of legal education in Nigeria.

He said, “For us, anything the government can do to enhance efficiency and help our children, we will gladly do that.

Earlier in her remarks, DG Odusote expressed profound gratitude to the FCT Minister for his long-standing contributions to the Law School across various campuses, specifically citing Port Harcourt and Yenagoa Campuses which she said benefited immensely from the Minister’s direct support and investments.

“We have to say thank you for your contribution to legal education. Your impact is felt across our campuses”, the DG stated.