BREAKING: Wike declares park and pay scheme in Abuja illegal

Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Nyesom Wike, has declared the Park and Pay scheme in Abuja illegal.

Wike made this announcement during a live media parley with select journalists in Abuja on Wednesday, marking his one year in office.

The minister revealed that a senior advocate alerted him to a scheme siphoning government funds under the guise of a legitimate operation. He explained, “This scheme, operating under the radar, has allowed private consultants to pocket most of the revenue meant for the government.”

Wike recounted how the issue came to his attention when a Senior Advocate of Nigeria contacted him, reporting that individuals claiming to be from the Transport Secretariat were attempting to seize vehicles. “I asked to speak to the person, who claimed to be from ‘Park and Pay.’ This was news to me,” Wike said.

Upon investigating, Wike discovered agreements between the secretariat and certain consultants, allowing the consultants to take 80% of the revenue, leaving only 20% for the FCT administration. He promptly declared the scheme illegal and assured that immediate steps would be taken to dismantle the operation. “If my colleague hadn’t called me, I wouldn’t have known,” Wike concluded.