Wike Renames International Conference Centre after Tinubu Amid Outrage At Inflated Cost

By Friday Obande

The International Conference Centre (ICC) in Abuja, has been renamed Bola Ahmed Tinubu International Conference Centre by the Minister of Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Nyesom Wike amid public protests over outrageous N39bn renovation costs.

Wike made the disclosure during the inauguration of the ICC in Abuja on Tuesday, where he also mentioned that other halls in the facility had been renamed after Vice President Kashim Shettima, Senate President Godswill Akpabio, House of Representatives Speaker, Tajudeen Abbas, and Chief Justice of Nigeria, Kekere-Ekun.

“Today, this Bola Ahmed Tinubu International Conference Centre can stand any other International Conference Centre. And in doing that, because the National Assembly has also supported us, I have told you that as we were inspecting the project, at the back, we have two halls. We have to remember those who have also supported the FCT. The National Assembly is one such arm of government.

“So we have named one hall Tajudeen Abbas hall, we have named Godswill Akpabio hall, and your Vice President, we have named one of these halls after the Vice President, and then the CJN, we have also named one of the halls after the CJN. And these are the three arms of the government, working together.

“So I just said since it is a property under you, and the building is under you, then, it should have small names on those halls, but it should be under the Bola Ahmed Tinubu International Conference Centre.

“It is important for the public to understand and to know why today, this is called the Bola Ahmed Tinubu International Conference Centre. 

“This Conference Centre was built in 1991 under the military government but since that time, nothing has happened to this International Conference Centre,” he said.

The FCT Minister credited this development to the leadership of President Tinubu, adding, “Within eight months Mr President, this is what we have. And I agree that without your leadership, it wouldn’t have been possible.”

The Minister then ordered that any ministries or government agencies willing to use the Conference Centre will be made to pay going forward, to ensure the proper maintenance of the ICC.

“How do we sustain this? I want to let everybody know, whether you’re a Ministry, whether you’re an agency, you want to use this, you have to pay something. 

“That’s the only way it can be sustained. Nothing like my brother, my sister is going to have a wedding. If you want to use a place like this, such a beautiful place, then you must drop something,” he further said.

The renaming of the International Conference Center built in 1991 at the cost of N240m comes amid public outrage at the N39bn renovation contract under the present administration.

Meanwhile the Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP) has condemned the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) for spending a staggering N39 billion to renovate the already functional International Conference Centre (ICC) in Abuja, while critical sectors like education and healthcare in the capital languish in neglect.

In a scathing statement, CUPP accused the FCTA of “reckless misplacement of priority,” questioning why such colossal funds were poured into refurbishing a working facility while public schools and hospitals across the territory remain dilapidated.

“Why should a functional conference centre gulp N39 billion in renovation while public schools lack chairs and hospitals run out of drugs?” CUPP questioned. “This is not just misplaced priority—it’s an insult to suffering Nigerians.”

The controversy deepened as the Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) launched a blistering attack on President Bola Tinubu, demanding an end to what it called “personality cult worship” and the “self-serving malfeasance” of ministers naming public infrastructure after him.

The rights group specifically called for the reversal of the ICC’s renaming—officially dubbed the “Bola Tinubu International Conference Centre”—denouncing the move as “immoral, baseless, and lacking historicity.”

“The ICC renaming must be canceled,” the group insisted. “Public infrastructure should serve the people, not feed the ego of politicians.”

HURIWA’s statement lambasted the Tinubu administration for prioritizing “legacy branding” over pressing national needs, arguing that the renaming of the ICC was a “shameful attempt at political glorification” while millions of Nigerians struggle with poverty and crumbling infrastructure.