The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Mr Nyesom Wike, has renamed the Abuja International Conference Centre after President Bola Tinubu.
Wike made this known during the unveiling of the rehabilitated centre by President Tinubu in Abuja on Tuesday, as part of activities marking the president’s second year in office.
He also named some of the halls after Vice President Kashim Shettima; the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun; Senate President Godswill Akpabio; and Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas.
According to him, this was to express appreciation for their support to the FCT Administration and to demonstrate the cordial working relationship among the Executive, Judiciary and Legislature.
He recalled that the conference centre was built in 1991 under the military government, adding that it had not been rehabilitated since then.
He said that President Tinubu, in line with his “Renewed Hope Agenda”, ordered the rehabilitation of the centre due to its dilapidated state.
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Wike added that, under Tinubu’s quality leadership, the directive had transformed the edifice into a befitting conference centre, demonstrating that Nigeria was truly the giant of Africa.
“Today, Bola Ahmed Tinubu International Conference Centre is a match with any other international conference centre in the world,” he said.
The minister, however, stated that to ensure the facility’s maintenance, all intending users must pay for access.
“I want to let everybody know, whether you are a ministry; whether you are an agency, if you want to use this you have to pay something.
“That is the only way it can be sustained.
“Nothing like ‘my brother, my sister has a wedding’. If you want to use such a beautiful place, then you must pay something,” he added.
Wike said the centre had previously been handed over to a politician who mismanaged it.
He added that when the FCT Administration decided to rehabilitate the structure, the same politician took the administration to court, amid other pressures from political figures.
He thanked President Tinubu for encouraging him to proceed with the rehabilitation and to ignore the detractors, saying:
“If not for your kind of person, we would not have done this work.
“We thank God for showing that leadership.
“This is because our problem is leadership. If you have the right leadership, things will get done, and that is what you have shown us.”
President Tinubu, who described Wike as a transformative leader, recounted the poor state of the centre during a previous visit to attend the ECOWAS Parliament.
“It was a very dirty, disorganised, uninhabitable environment.
“Aside from the side talk I had with the Senate President, I turned to Wike and said this conference centre is not reflecting who we are. Have we sunk this low?
“He said no, but bear with us, we will do whatever we can do to transform the place. You won’t come back to find it in a dilapidated state and today I am very happy.
“I am greatly honoured and happy to be here to reopen this international conference centre as part of our determined efforts to change the way we do things, to reflect us as people of quality, people of character, people of determination, people of great spirit.
“That is who we are and I am glad that you, Nyesom Wike, are reflecting that.”
Tinubu urged Wike not to be distracted by critics:
“Whatever they say, continue to do your good work.
“You are a transformational leader, you have the foresight, the vision and the determination to succeed. Thank you very much.”
On his part, Senate President Godswill Akpabio commended Wike for the renovation, rehabilitation, and transformation of the centre.
“We are proud of the fact that we do the budgeting, we give the approvals, and you do the execution,” he said.
The ICC was built by Julius Berger Nigeria PLC in 1990 and completed in time for the 1991 OAU Heads of Government meeting, has long served as a venue for government functions, international summits, exhibitions, and corporate events.
