The Minister of Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Mr Nyesom Wike has declared the controversial ‘Park and Pay’ policy in Abuja illegal.
He made the declaration during a media parley with newsmen in Abuja on Wednesday, to mark his first year in office.
Wike revealed that the scheme, which had been siphoning government funds under the guise of a legitimate operation, was brought to his attention by a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN).
The FCT minister explained that the policy allowed private consultants to pocket the majority of the revenue that should have gone to the government.
He said, “A call from a senior advocate, brought to light a scheme that has been siphoning government funds under the guise of a legal operation.
“The scheme, which appears to have been operating under the radar, highlights a critical flaw in the system that allows private consultants to pocket the lion’s share of revenues meant for the government.
“These are things we need to fight within the system. Sometimes, if you don’t bring it to our attention, we may not know. We can’t be everywhere.
“The incident unfolded when a Senior Advocate of Nigeria reached out to me with a troubling report. He said, ‘Sir, some people came to our office and they are trying to seize our cars. They claim to be from the Transport Secretariat. I asked him to give the person the phone, and I asked the person, ‘Who are you?’ He said, he is ffrom ‘Park and Pay from the Transport Secretariat.”
Wike, who was unaware of such activities, immediately sought clarification.
“I wasn’t aware of this, so I called the person in charge of it. I asked, ‘Who collects the money?’ Unknown to us, there are agreements between the secretariat and some people who claim to be consultants. So, the consultant takes 80%, and the FCT administration takes 20%,” Wike explained.
The minister declared their activities illegal, assuring that immediate action would be taken to dismantle the operation.
“I’m trying to say that it’s illegal, and nothing like that exists. And if my colleague hadn’t called me, I wouldn’t have known,” he concluded.
