Abuja, Nigeria
The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, says the on-street parking scheme, popularly called park and pay being implemented is illegal.
The minister said this in an interview on Wednesday to mark his one year in office.
The scheme was reintroduced by the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) after signing an agreement with two concessionaires to decongest the city and make motoring a more pleasant experience.
The policy was suspended in April 2014, following a high court judgment that stopped the collection of on-street parking fees within the nation’s capital.
According to Wike, the agreement with contractors implementing and managing the scheme was marred by fraud.
“A friend of mine, a senior advocate, called me and said: ‘Sir, people came to our office now trying to hijack all our cars. They said they are from the transport secretariat’. I said, what is that? Give the person the phone. I said who are you and he said from park and pay. What do you mean by park and pay? I park in my house and I pay?, Wike asked.
“I called the mandate secretary of transport secretariat. I said 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, the consultant takes 80 percent and the government takes 20 percent? Where is this 20 per cent being paid to the government?“
“It is illegal. That is the point I am telling you. It does not exist,” he added.
