ABUJA – Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Nyesom Wike, has denounced the Park and Pay scheme in the nation’s capital as unlawful.
The minister made this assertion during an interactive meeting with journalists in Abuja on Wednesday, convened to commemorate his first year in office.
He unveiled that a Senior Advocate had alerted him to a scheme that was surreptitiously diverting government funds under the guise of legality.
This revelation exposed a significant loophole in the system, allowing private consultants to embezzle the majority of revenues designated for the government.
“These are systemic issues that necessitate our concerted efforts to combat. Oftentimes, without such matters being brought to our attention, they can evade our scrutiny. We cannot omnipresent,”he stated.
The minister recounted an incident where a Senior Advocate of Nigeria contacted him, reporting an alarming situation.
The advocate informed him, ‘Sir, individuals have visited our premises attempting to confiscate our vehicles, alleging they are representatives of the Transport Secretariat’. Wike promptly intervened, seeking clarification.
Unaware of the scheme, Wike probed further, discovering agreements between the Secretariat and purported consultants. These agreements stipulated that consultants retained 80% of the revenue, while the FCT Administration received only 20%.
He unequivocally declared the scheme as illegal, affirming prompt measures would be taken to dismantle its operation.
“I categorically state that this scheme is illegal and devoid of any official standing. Without the timely intervention of my colleague, this illicit operation would have persisted unbeknownst to us, “he concluded.
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