Abuja – Bareley 24 hours after the Christmas holiday and weekend that saw parks and recreations bubbled with activities, many parks within FCT had begun to witness low patronage.
A correspondent who visited some of the parks yesterday reports show that though work resumed Monday, some of the parks and relaxation spots recorded low patronage.
A visit to several amusement parks in the city showed a remarkable drop in patronage, except for Wonderland Park, which still recorded a high turnout of visitors.
At the Millennium and Jabi parks, newsmen observed that the facilities recorded few visitors.
Officials at the parks refused to respond to inquiries on the low patronage by visitors.
However, at the Wonderland Park, the story was different as parents and children were seen enjoying themselves although not as they did during the festive breaks.
One of the managers at Wonderland Park, Mr Paul Oko, said it was only a temporary lull and expressed optimism that the situation would change in the days to come.
“After the Christmas celebrations that dovetailed into the long weekend, work resumed on Monday and you can imagine that many people would want to go back to their places of work.
“Of course, there is still the New Year holiday to come and we expect that merry makers would once again come out in droves to have fun,’’ he said.
According to Oko, Nigerians are increasingly becoming aware of the need to take time off from work to relax and reduce stress, after all it is said that “all work and no play make Jack a dull boy’’.
“I want you to understand one thing, people do not come to enjoy our facilities only during the holidays, it is a daily thing here, but usually we are busier at weekends,’’ said the official.
The manager said the park was opened to visitors all year with adequate security to ensure their safety.