In a significant move against corruption within the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Minister Nyesom Wike has declared the controversial ‘Park and Pay’ policy being operated in Abuja as illegal.
Wike made the declaration during a live media parley with journalists in Abuja on Wednesday, to mark his one year in office.
The FCT minister revealed that the scheme, which has been siphoning government funds under the guise of a legal operation, was brought to his attention by a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN). According to Wike, the policy involved private consultants who pocketed the majority of revenues intended for the government.
“A call from a Senior Advocate brought to light a scheme that has been siphoning government funds under the guise of a legal operation,” Wike stated. “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 came to light when the Senior Lawyer informed Wike about individuals attempting to seize cars under the pretext of the ‘Park and Pay’ program, claiming to represent the Transport Secretariat. Wike recounted the conversation, saying, “The Advocate said, ‘Sir, some people came to our office, and they are trying to seize our cars. They claimed 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 was from ‘Park and Pay’ from the Transport Secretariat.”
Unaware of such operations, Wike 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%,” he explained.
Wike firmly declared the activities of the operators as illegal and assured that immediate steps would be taken to dismantle the ‘Park and Pay’ 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,” the FCT Minister concluded.
