FCT minister Nyesom Wike on Wednesday said the park-and-pay policy in Abuja is illegal and would be stopped.
The minister stated this during a live media parley with select journalists in Abuja to mark one year in office.
“A call from a senior advocate, brought to light a scheme that has been siphoning government funds under the guise of a legal operation,” he said.
“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 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 from ‘Park and Pay from the Transport Secretariat.”
Wike said he discovered that the secretariat signed agreement with a consultant to take 20 per cent of the fund while the latter takes 80 per cent.
He added, “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.”
