FCT Minister’s recent declaration against the ‘Park and Pay’ policy in Abuja has caused a stir. Read more about the legal and practical effects of this ruling.
Minister Nyesom Wike has taken a strong stance against corruption in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) by declaring that the contentious ‘Park and Pay’ policy in Abuja is unlawful.
He made the announcement while speaking to journalists in a live media briefing held on Wednesday in Abuja, which coincided with his first year anniversary as officeholder.
According to Wike, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) brought the scheme to his notice. The operation had been deceivingly presenting itself as legitimate while embezzling government funds. As per the FCT minister, private consultants were taking most of the revenue that should rightfully have gone towards benefiting the government under this policy.
Wike stated that a Senior Advocate’s call exposed a deceitful scheme disguised as a legal operation, which had been draining government funds.
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He emphasized the importance of addressing such issues in the system and acknowledged that without being alerted to them, they may go unnoticed since it is impossible for officials to be present everywhere.
The Senior Advocate brought to Wike’s attention the situation where individuals were attempting to confiscate cars under false pretenses of enforcing the “Park and Pay” program, claiming they represented the Transport Secretariat. According to Wike, during their conversation he was informed by the advocate that some people had visited his office for seizing vehicles while impersonating officials from Transportation Secretariat.
To clarify their identity, Wike asked him to give phone access one of them whom he questioned about who they are; in response, that person identified themselves as part of “Park and Pay”, which falls within Transportation Secretariat jurisdiction.
Wike was not informed about the operation and thus, he sought clarification. He reached out to the person in charge and asked who collects the money.
To his astonishment, it turned out that there were agreements between some individuals claiming to be consultants and the secretariat. These consultants took 80% of revenue while only leaving a mere 20% for FCT administration as explained by Wike.
The FCT Minister, Wike, made a strong assertion that the actions of the operators were unlawful and guaranteed swift measures to dismantle their ‘Park and Pay’ scheme.
He affirmed that such activities do not exist and he would have been unaware if he had not received notification from his colleague.
By making this move, Wike demonstrates his dedication to eradicating corruption and guaranteeing that public funds serve the populace’s welfare instead of dishonest individuals siphoning them for themselves.
