Wike dismantles park n pay in FCT, frowns at sharing formula of 20% to govt, 80% to consultant

Even more disturbing to the Minister is the fact that under the arrangement, the consultant kept all of 80% of the money collected while leaving a paltry 20% the FCT Administration, describing the arrangement as some of the things “we need to fight within the system.”

“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,” Wike stated.

“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.

The incident unfolded when a senior advocate reached out to him with what the Minister described as a troubling report.

“Sir,” Wike quoted the Senior Advocate as saying, “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.”

“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 consultants take 80%, and the FCT administration  takes 20%,” Wike stated, wittingly or unwittingly sparking a broader discussion about transparency and accountability in the operations of the agencies of the FCT.

Insisting that such activities are illegal, Wike said his immediate action was to cancel the arrangement.

“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,” Wike stressed, explaining that the incident

the incident had not only brought to light a specific case of corruption but also highlighted the importance of vigilance in governance.