Wike declares Abuja Park and Pay Scheme illegal

The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Mr. Nyesom Wike, has denounced the On-street Parking scheme, commonly referred to as Park and Pay, operating in Abuja, the nation’s capital, as unlawful and illegitimate.

Wike disclosed this during a media chat monitored on Wednesday by Persecondnews in Abuja as part of activities marking his first anniversary in office.

The Park and Pay scheme, initially launched around 10 years ago, was halted due to widespread criticism and opposition from the public.

However, August of last year saw its reinstatement, shortly before Wike became the FCT Minister.

The Minister criticized the uneven distribution of funds, pointing out that the consultant pockets 80% of the proceeds while the FCT Administration is left with a paltry 20%.

He said: “I was away; a colleague of mine, a friend of mine, called me; he is a Senior Advocate of Nigeria.

“He said, ‘sir, people came to our office now trying to hijack all our cars, and that they said they were from the Transport Secretariat.

“I said, What is that? I said give the person the phone. I said, Who are you? and he said he was from Park and Pay. I said, What do you mean by Park and Pay? I park in my house, and I pay?.

“I called the Mandate Secretary of the Transport Secretariat. I said, Come, who introduced the Park and Pay? What does it mean? Who collects the money?

“Unknown to us, there was an agreement between the Secretariat and some people who say they are consultants. Consultants? I said okay, consultant takes 80 percent, and the government takes 20 percent.

“I said, okay, where is this money paid into? I said, draft a statement and call the Director, Press, send out the statement that the public should be aware that there is nothing called Park and Pay.

“So, sometimes, these things are done in consultation with the various secretariats. I was a governor. So, I know that these things happen, and we won’t deny that fact.”

The minister urged residents to remain vigilant and inform the government about local issues, citing the Park and Pay policy as an example, which he may have remained unaware of if it had not been brought to his attention.