The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Nyesom Wike, has ordered an immediate halt of illegal parks and pay schemes in Abuja.

He made the declaration on a live programme yesterday in Abuja to mark his one year in office.

Wike frowned on the sharing formula, where the consultant takes 80 per cent, and the FCT Administration (FCTA) gets 20 per cent.

His words: “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 emphasised, underscoring the challenges faced in overseeing the sprawling FCTA.

He disclosed that the incident unfolded when a senior advocate reached out to him with a troubling report saying: “‘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.”

Wike said he was unaware of such activities, but immediately sought clarification, stating: “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 per cent, and the FCT administration takes 20 per cent.”

The minister made it clear that such activities are illegal, and that immediate action had been taken to dismantle the operation.

“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,” he concluded.