7pm park closure: Operators bemoan huge revenue losses

Operators of recreational facilities in the Federal Capital Territory have cried out over the ongoing enforcement of the park policy, lamenting huge loss of revenue due to the implementation.
Recall that the administration announced the reimplementation of the 2019 FCT Park Policy which stipulates that all parks and gardens to close at 7pm daily.
The enforcement which kicked off Monday, July 4, commenced at the popular Eden Garden, Utako at about 8: 14pm, before moving to Par Excellence Waterfalls and Park, Unity Global Garden, Grillzhut Garden all in wuse Zone 5.
The team later proceeded to Deli Restaurant and Garden, Wuse Zone 4 before ending at the City Park, Wuse II.
Most of the places visited had nightlife lovers and patrons seated in clusters, but unwillingly rushed out when the enforcement team stormed and interrupted their fun.
Madam Winners Wokoma, who runs a sit-out restaurant at the Eden Garden, said  her losses due to the policy would be enough to ground her business.
A manager at the Elites City Park, Wuse II, Micheal Akogwu, said he opted to close exactly at 7pm in compliance with the directives to avoid trouble from the government.
He said the revenue losses in the park was colossal, considering different segments that offer unique services with their attractive selling points.
However, the Senior Special Assistant on Monitoring, Inspection and Enforcement to FCT Minister, Ikharo Attah, explained that the policy was not meant to kill businesses, but to instill a sense of sanity to the parks and recreation sector.
While regretting that the good intentions of the administration in allocating parks and gardens has been abused, he called for understanding and compliance.
He assured that the administration will continue to dialogue with owners and operators of parks, to fine tune the processes, to ensure seamless implementation.
“We came out this night for advocacy enforcement, we have gone round some gardens to ensure compliance to 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 parks operators, we really want them to make money, but we still need orderliness. Parks are not lounges, nightclub and hotels. They have specific guidelines on how they should operate. I think with time, everyone will begin to adjust.”