Wike Uncovers Illegal Revenue-Sharing Scheme in FCT, Promises Investigation
CHIGOZIE AMADI
During a live media parley on Wednesday in Abuja, marking his one-year anniversary in office, Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister Barr. Nyesom Wike declared the Park n Pay scheme in the nation’s capital illegal.
He expressed concerns over the revenue-sharing formula, where consultants receive 80% and the FCT administration receives 20%.
Wike revealed that a senior advocate brought the scheme to his attention, highlighting a critical flaw in the system that allows private consultants to pocket a significant share of government revenues.
According to the Minister,”the call from a senior advocate, brought to light a scheme that has been siphoning government funds under the guise of a legal operation.
“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’s 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,” Wike emphasized, underscoring the challenges faced in overseeing the sprawling FCT administration.
“The incident unfolded when a senior advocate reached out to him with a troubling report. He said, ‘Sir, some people came to our office and 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”.
He emphasized the challenges of overseeing the sprawling FCT administration and acknowledged that he was unaware of the scheme’s existence until it was reported to him.
“I wasn’t aware of this, so I called the person in charge of it. I asked, ‘Who collects the money?’ Unknown to us, there are agreements between the secretariat and some people who claim to be consultants. So, the consultant takes 80%, and the FCT administration takes 20%,” Wike explained, visibly disturbed by the discovery.
The minister stated that immediate action would be taken to dismantle the operation, emphasizing that such activities are illegal.
“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”.
This incident has sparked a broader discussion about transparency and accountability within the FCT’s operations and is expected to lead to a broader investigation into similar practices.
