By Tom Zaneni, Abuja
Minister of Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has declared as illegal the park-and-pay scheme being operated around Abuja.
He expressed dissatisfaction with the formula for sharing of the proceeds in which the consultant collects 80 per cent while the FCT administration gets a paltry 20 per cent.
Wike stated this during a live media chat with journalists in Abuja on Wednesday to mark his first year anniversary in office.
The minister said that a phone call from senior lawyer exposed the curious park-and-pay scheme used by its operators to allegedly siphon government’s revenues in the nation’s capital.
He described it as “a critical flaw in the system” which gives advantage to the consultant to pocket the lion’s share of the revenues that should go to government.
Wike, while shedding more light, said “The 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.”
He said the senior advocate complained that some persons stormed their office and attempted to impound their cars.
According to the minister, the senior lawyer said the park-and-pay personnel in responses to inquiries claimed to be workers in the park-and-pay unit of the Transport Secretariat.
Wike said,”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 insisted that such activities were illegal, adding that immediate steps would be taken to dismantle the scheme.
“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”,Wike added.
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