FCTA moves to recover debts from parks operations

Favour Ishember, Abuja

Consequence to the denial of FCT of it’s statutory revenue accruable from parks, the Federal Capital Territory Administration has mandated the Parks and Recreational Department to recover all outstanding revenue owed government from the the operations Parks in the Territory.

The coordinator, Abuja Metropolitan Management Council, TPL Umar Shaibu who dropped this hint at a press conference on Wednesday said it has come to the knowledge of the Administration that operators of parks have continued to run these parks and to rake a fortune from them without remitting the stipulated charges and the required lease fees thereby denying the FCT of its statutory revenues accruable from Parks all over the Territory.

The Coordinator however said
The recovery of outstanding revenues will be carried out with a human face as Government in its magnanimity has granted indebted operators discounts and the option of paying in installments in order to cushion the financially devastating effect of block payment on the activities of operators.

He explained that , operators may obtain details of this discount arrangement as well as information on installment remittances from the Parks and Recreation Department of the FCTA

Park Update Forms should also be collected, filled by Operators and duly returned to the Department in order to facilitate the update and verification of all park records. We need to make it clear that operators who refuse to take advantage of the Administration’s humane gesture and continue to default on their payments may have their Parks withdrawn, licenses revoked and their facilities transferred to compliant operators

We wish to state that the 2019 FCT Park Policy has categorized Parks into Neighbourhood, District, City and Regional Parks all with their various designations. The Policy is now fully operational.

In line with all Park operators, Shaibu warned that the Park Policy regulations for their activities stipulates that their daily operation must end at 7.00pm. As the rights of the neighbors for protection against excessive noise must be sacrosanct.

In his words:'” Also, all Park operators must ensure that they submit their plans for approval at the Park and Recreations Department and obtain their approvals signed by the Development Control before they commence development. They also must develop in line with the approval granted and the provisions as stipulated by the development regulations.

“We wish to reiterate that Parks are meant for the protection of our green components

“In the building fabric of the city, beautification and relaxation of the citizens in peace and tranquility. They are never created to serve as drinking joints and drug peddling. Henceforth, all violations are going to be checkmated”

and the authority will earnestly commence the enforcement of the stipulated closing time for Park operations at 7.00pm” , he warned.

Also speaking, the Director, Parks and Creation, Hajia Riskatu Abdulazeez noted that the department is going to come up with a template definitely it will not exceed this year 2022 for them to balance up so that by 2023 they will start payment on a clean note

The year of payment stats from the last payment a particular Park opperator paid, as every body that pay are on the same level .

Significantly, Abdulazeez said consequent to the challenge confronted by most business premises, informed by
the COVID-19 pandemic, the Administration has given a waver for full year of 2020 and part payment of 50 percent for the year 2021 respectively.

On the waver from which year, the whole year of 2020 and half part of 2021due to the lockdown informed by the COVID-19 pandemic have been waved
So for 2021, 50 percent have been waved, then other years they pay in f