The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike has directed that parks, gardens and other designated green places in Abuja should immediately stop being used as car dealership lots.
The order is one of the steps introduced by the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) to protect recreation spaces and tackle the flooding situation in parts of the country’s capital.
Wike, in a statement on Wednesday, by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications and Social Media, Lere Olayinka, voiced worry about the conversion of leisure grounds to commercial vehicle lots.
The minister was referring specifically to Millennium Park and other parks and gardens where attempts were being made to sell cars and instructed the authorities concerned to ensure that such unlawful activities are stopped forthwith.
Thus, the FCTA has set up a taskforce to monitor compliance and implement the mandate across the Federal Capital Territory.
Wike has also ordered a probe into state personnel allegedly involved in granting clearance to utilise green spaces as locations for car dealerships.
Officials affected include directors in charge of Parks and Recreation, Environmental Protection, Traffic Management and Urban Affairs.
The FCTA said the officials had been summoned by the FCT Head of Service, Nancy Sabanti Nathan to explain their participation in the purported approvals.
The minister’s move follows rising fears over flooding in portions of the Abuja metropolis.
The FCT Administration has also placed more emphasis on the protection of streams, drainage channels, and other environmentally vulnerable regions as part of its attempts to improve flood management and urban development.
The current directive further strengthens the administration’s stance that commercial operations and developments must adhere to Abuja’s planning standards.
Earlier this month, Wike had warned that land speculators, fraudulent developers and anybody undermining the Abuja Master Plan would not be allowed to operate with impunity in the FCT.
The minister also ordered other measures to improve order and regulate operations in the capital city, including limitations on commercial motorcycles and tricycles in specific places for security reasons.
The new regulation is expected to lead to the FCTA intensifying enforcement against unlawful use of public green spaces and probing how such places were licensed for commercial uses.
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