Wike Declares Abuja Park And Pay Scheme Illegal, Slams Revenue Sharing Deal

The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has declared the On-street Parking scheme, commonly known as “Park and Pay,” as illegal in Abuja.

This announcement was made during a live media chat in Abuja on Wednesday, marking Wike’s first year in office.

The “Park and Pay” scheme was initially introduced around a decade ago but was suspended following strong public opposition. However, it was reintroduced in August of last year, just days before Wike assumed the role of minister. Wike expressed dissatisfaction with the scheme, particularly criticizing the revenue-sharing arrangement, where the consultant responsible for the scheme receives 80 percent of the earnings, leaving only 20 percent for the FCT Administration.

Wike then shared an incident that sparked his disapproval of the program. A friend of his, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), called to inform him that individuals claiming to be from the Transport Secretariat were attempting to impound cars under the “Park and Pay” scheme. Confused by this, Wike recounted:

“I was away when a colleague, a friend of mine, called me. He is a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN). He said, ‘Sir, people came to our office now trying to hijack all our cars, and they said they were from the Transport Secretariat.’ I said, ‘What is that?’ I told him to hand the phone to the person. I asked, ‘Who are you?’ 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?'”

Wike continued by explaining his immediate response to the situation:

“I called the Mandate Secretary of 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?'”

He instructed his officials to take swift action, stating:

“I told them to draft a statement and call the Director of Press to issue a public announcement that the public should be aware there is nothing called Park and Pay. Sometimes, these things are done in connivance with the various Secretariats. I was a governor, so I know that these things happen, and we won’t deny that fact.”

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