Fun seekers grumble as FCTA enforces 7pm closing time for parks

The enforcement of park policy in the Federal Capital Territory commenced last week with the 7pm closing time attracting severe criticisms from some of the stakeholders including the park owners and the fun seekers.  But the FCT Minister, Mohammed Musa Bello, said the policy was aimed at sanitising the nation’s capital. Daily Trust on Sunday […]

The enforcement of park policy in the Federal Capital Territory commenced last week with the 7pm closing time attracting severe criticisms from some of the stakeholders including the park owners and the fun seekers.  But the FCT Minister, Mohammed Musa Bello, said the policy was aimed at sanitising the nation’s capital. Daily Trust on Sunday speaks with the concerned parties on the warring issues.

The decision of the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) to enforce park policy which mandates nightlife fun seekers to leave parks by 7pm has been received with complaints by residents of the territory.

The FCTA commenced the enforcement on Monday.

The enforcement, which commenced at the popular Eden Garden, Utako, at about 8:14pm on Tuesday, moved to Par Excellence Waterfalls and Park; Unity Global Garden; Grillzhut Garden all in Wuse Zone 5; Deli Restaurant and Garden, Wuse Zone 4; and ended at City Park, Wuse II.

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Most of the places visited by the enforcement team still had nightlife lovers and patrons seated around their tables. They had to flee when the team stormed the place. 

Explaining the policy, the Senior Special Assistant on Monitoring, Inspection and Enforcement to FCT Minister, Ikharo Attah, said it was not meant to kill people’s businesses, but to instil a sense of sanity in the parks and recreation sector.

Attah told journalists that the FCT Minister, Muhammad Musa Bello, gave the order to enforce the Park Policy signed by former President Olusegun Obasanjo in 2005.

While regretting that the good intention of the administration in allocating parks and gardens has been abused, he called for understanding and compliance.

He assured that the administration would continue to dialogue with owners and operators of parks, to fine-tune the processes, and ensure seamless implementation. 

“We came out tonight for advocacy enforcement. We have gone round some gardens to ensure compliance with the FCTA Park Policy 2005 that states that parks should close by 7pm, that is why we appear to be very soft.

“Everyone is concerned about park operators; we really want them to make money, but we still need orderliness. Parks are not lounges, nightclubs or hotels. They have specific guidelines on how they should operate. I think with time, everyone will begin to adjust,” Attah said.

But, a cross section of residents, who spoke with our reporter, expressed their opposition to the policy, saying it would bring more hardship to Nigerians who visit the parks to relax.

A worker around Utako, Jubril Abubarkar, who closes at 7.30pm from work daily and goes to the Eden Garden to relax, frowned at the development.

“It affects me because I close late from work and get food from Eden Garden, just a stone throw from here. With this enforcement, that cannot be possible anymore. I am calling on the FCTA to always consider the masses before making decisions,” Abubarkar said.

Another resident, Tunde Johnson, who said he is a Real Estate developer, said he goes to parks late hours, with the hope to catch some interesting homes off-takers, adding that the government has once again displayed double standards, by the new enforcement.

“To me, this enforcement is not needed at this time. We have already suffered a lot in this country. They just sit at the helm of power and make policies without considering the masses. It is quite unfortunate,” Johnson said.

Similarly, a taxi driver, Haruna Isah, stated that most taxi drivers (including himself) within the city who usually relax in recreational centres after a hectic day are already complaining because the policy does not favour them.

“Honestly the government has done us more harm than good with this new policy. How do they expect us to cope. It is going to affect me personally because I can no longer go to these places, I always go for relaxation to cool off my head after work every day. We are really suffering in this country,” he said.

A businessman, Chukwuemeka Ifeanyi, who was with his family at one of the parks, however, told our reporter that he was apprehensive whenever he visited the park from 6pm.

He said, “There are lots of things to be careful about here, especially when you realize that you are on your own and nobody might come to help you out. The water is unbanked and there are no lifeguards, the boats are scary and there is also no sign of an ambulance here in the event of an emergency. There is no organised security and we know the current security situation in the country; so, when I come here with my family, especially in the evening, I keep a close eye on them.”

Ifeanyi said with the current security situation of the country, the policy is a good development as it would help to instil a sense of sanity in the parks.

“Some businesses would definitely suffer, but I urge all business owners in the parks to comply with the law,” he added.

Another fun seeker, Tajudeen Adekunle, said safety and security seemed not to be on the priority list of the park management as they expected individuals to handle it themselves.

“The environment is very porous, people walk in and out as they like, without proper security checks,” she said.

An Uber driver who didn’t want his name in print expressed worry that the 7pm deadline on parks will have a ripple effect on every as of the capital city’s economy. 

“It’s not funny anymore. How do they expect us to survive. This decision will surely have a negative effect on us because most times people prefer to just park their cars at home and use our services. What this means now is that by 7pm we will all just retire to our homes instead of working up until midnight like we always do. How do they want us to survive? Is it only in these parks atrocities are being committed? Do they know what goes on in some hotels, nightclubs, etc.? We know of places in this Abuja that drugs are being sold in the open and these people have the protection of the police. Why aren’t they taking a look at those areas?” he asked.

Fighting back

Fighting back the enforcement, owners of the centres, through their counsel, in a letter to the FCT Minister, raised two concerns.

They said the case is in court and accused the minister of disregarding the rule of law by enforcing the closure of parks and gardens by 7 pm across the city.

“As solicitors to the plaintiffs in the above stated suit pending before the FCT High Court, we draw your attention to the threatened enforcement of 6pm, closing hours by the proprietor of gardens in the FCT by your Senior Special Assistant (SSA) on Monitoring and Enforcement, Ikharo Attah, whose action is sub-judice of the pending case before the court.

“Suffice it to say that we live in a democratic society where rule of law prevails against personal desires and brigandage of public servants, the terms of settlements in the above matter has been ordered to be filed by the court after the parties agreed in terms and principles,” the lawyer to the affected business owners, Ifeanyi Agu, said.

Agu appealed to the minister to ask Attah to stop the exercise.

Why we are enforcing policy on parks — FCT minister

The Minister of Federal Capital Territory, Malam Muhammad Bello, has explained why his administration is enforcing the policy on parks operation in the nation’s capital.

He said that his administration decided to revert to the policy in order to ensure the attainment of 40 per cent threshold of green areas in the city.

The minister, however, said that the abuse on green. areas had affected the ecosystem, adding that government realised sometime in mid 2000 that it was simply impossible to maintain all the green areas.

This, he said, informed the concessioning of green areas to private operators to develop as parks

“A park in the real sense of a park like we see in other countries is neat, clean with sidewalks, with areas for playground for children, family members and areas of relaxation. 

“And everywhere in the world, these parks have opening time and closing time and normally they are done in the day time maybe from 8a.m. or in some cases 7a.m. and then by night they close,” he said.

The minister stated that almost 95 per cent of those who took parks under concession converted them into structures thereby abusing essence of the concession and the environment.

“Instead of temporary structures using environmental friendly materials they started constructing solid concrete structures.

“And instead of making green areas they started creating concrete basement and that totally jettisoned the idea and as time went by, these concrete and permanent structures started to be converted into areas where a lot of things were done wrongly.

“Parks that were meant to be areas where there will be aesthetics like you see in New York, London and so many other cities in the world gradually were converted into places where criminals stayed there.

“Because it is an open public space they will stay there in the night until midnight and after midnight you know what they do in the city.

“They create havoc in many of the parks and because the parks owners have not been able over time invest to maintain it green, it became easier for them to stay,” the minister said.

The minister revealed that the administration was getting positive feedback from residents, adding that they were appreciative for the enforcement of the policy.

“But you know as a country we don’t push for our rights.

“All the neighbours have been crying in silence, accusing government and complaining in silence but nobody was willing to confront these people in the parks.

“And now that we are doing our work quietly they will commend us but nobody is coming out publicly to support us,” the minister said.