• FG spends staggering N39B for the renovation International Conference Centre, ICC, Abuja
• HURIWA, Obi, others knock FG say it is a wasteful project
• FCT Minister Nyesom wike defends the project, says the President has a taste
Barrage of criticisms has continued to trail the decision of the Federal Government to spend a whooping N39 billion naira on the renovation of the International Conference Centre, ICC, Abuja.
WITHIN NIGERIA gathered that the criticism was rooted on the fact that apart from the fact that the centre is fully functional, this project is not necessary at a time when the country is gasping with breathe, economically.
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Again, critics are of the opinion that the centre after President Bola Tinubu, when the structure has been in existence for over three decades without being named after any elder statesmen is a shift from norm as far as the Nigerian nation is concerned.
CUPP, HURIWA knock President Tinubu for the project
Any case, the Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP) expressed dismay over what it described as the FCTA’s reckless misplacement of priority with the expenditure of N39 billion for refurbishing a functional ICC, while critical sectors like education and healthcare in the territory were left to crumble.
In addition to this, Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) did not spare Tinubu, as it called the President to stop “personality cult worship” and the absolutely self-serving malfeasance of ministers naming refurbished publicly funded infrastructure after him.
The rights group called for the cancellation of the ICC renaming for being immoral, baseless and lacking historicity.
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Also, a socio-political activist, Aisha Yesufu, lashed out at Tinubu following the development.
Leading the charge, CUPP called the move a “costly quest for immortality” and a brazen display of self-glorification in the face of mounting crises in education, healthcare and infrastructure across the FCT.
Meanwhile, Tinubu and Senate President Godswill Akpabio have reaffirmed Julius Berger’s exceptional commitment to excellence in the rehabilitation job.
They extolled the construction company for delivering the job on schedule.
WITHIN NIGERIA findings showed that the centre was built in 1991 for N240 million under military president, Gen Ibrahim Babangida (rtd), the ICC has hosted global summits, presidential inaugurations and major national events.
However, critics argue that the recent renovation, which cost over 160 times the original price tag, lacks transparency and fails to reflect public priorities.
Peter Obi: Criticizes the project
According to CUPP in a statement by its National Secretary, Peter Ameh, “It is not just the money. It is the symbolism. At a time pupils have been out of class for three months and primary health centres shut down across the FCT, this administration is focused on vanity projects and personal branding.”
Our reporter gathered that the facility now bears the name Bola Ahmed Tinubu International Conference Centre, sparking backlash among civil society groups and opposition leaders who accuse the President of rewriting history with paintbrushes and billboards.
The ICC is one of several public assets recently renamed after the president, including a technology complex, a barracks and a federal polytechnic.
Residents of the capital are asking hard questions. “How do you justify spending N39 billion on a renovation while teachers and doctors are on strike?” asked Amina Mohammed, a public school teacher in Garki. “We need books, not billboards.”
FCTA has yet to release a detailed breakdown of the renovation costs or procurement process, fueling speculation about inflated contracts and political patronage.
“This is not how legacies are built,” Ameh declared. “Real leadership builds schools that educate, hospitals that heal, and industries that empower – not monuments to ego.”
HURIWA alleged the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, is bribing the President by naming significant infrastructure after him in the hope that spending public funds under the FCT would not be subjected to thorough and transparent auditing.
The National Coordinator, Emmanuel Onwubiko said: “We the people of Nigeria are demanding an end to the opaque system of awarding contracts in the FCT, so credible observers drawn from the civil society organisations are invited to witness the transparency of the process of awarding contracts in the FCT. We also suspect foul-play in the policy of exiting the FCT from the Treasury Single Account (TSA) with no follow-up process of allowing the public to gain knowledge of how public funds are spent in the building of public infrastructure.”
The 10,000-capacity facility features cutting-edge acoustic systems, Artificial Intelligence (AI)-assisted translation booths and renewable energy components.
Obi reacts to the renovation
The presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the 2023 general election, Peter Obi, has criticised the N39 billion spent on the renovation of the (ICC), Abuja, describing it as a misplacement of priorities.
Speaking in Abuja on Friday 13, 2025 while announcing the facilitation of three development projects valued at N6 million for Girls Secondary School, Chibok, Borno State, Obi stressed the need for prioritising education in national development.
The projects, which included the drilling of a borehole, provision of solar lighting, and establishment of a science laboratory, were undertaken to support the school where girls were kidnapped by Boko Haram terrorists in 2014.
Obi explained that the donation would have been made directly in the Chibok community, but the prevailing security situation in the area made it unsafe.
“If a section of the country is not safe to visit, then the whole country is not safe,” he said.
In a statement issued by the spokesperson of Peter Obi Media Reach (POMR), Ibrahim Umar, the former Anambra State governor described the ICC renovation—recently renamed after President Bola Tinubu—as a wasteful venture. He urged the federal government to channel such funds into sectors like education and health that directly impact the youth.
“The N39 billion used to renovate the International Conference Centre would have been better spent on initiatives that benefit school children who are in dire need of such investment.
“N39 billion could have procured thousands of computers that would have significantly improved learning in schools. These children are the leaders of tomorrow,” Obi said.
He further criticised the FCTA for embarking on such a costly renovation while teachers in the territory have been on strike for three months due to unpaid salaries.
“This is what I focused on during my tenure as governor of Anambra State. I ensured that students had access to computers—at least 10 students to one computer,” he added.
Wike defends the project, mocks critics
Nyesom Wike, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, has defended the N39 billion used to renovate the International Conference Centre, ICC, which was built in 1991 at the cost of N240 million.
According to Wike, besides the inflationary realities, there was the need to show taste.
The FCT Minister said this during the commissioning of the newly-constructed 15-kilometre Left-Hand Service Carriageway of Outer Southern Expressway, OSEX, Stage II, from Ring Road 1 Junction to Wasa Junction.
“What was the exchange rate in 1991?” he queried.
“Compare the exchange rate to what we have in 2025.
“We have taste, we want the best for the country, and the president has given the best for the country.
“If you did not do well to defend your boss when you had the opportunity, it is your business. I am here, and I will defend my boss.
“I have done it and I have no regret at all,” he said even as he censured those who felt the project was a misplaced priority.
Recall that on Tuesday, June 10, President Bola Tinubu inaugurated the refurbished ICC, which the FCT minister renamed after him as the Bola Tinubu International Conference Centre, Abuja.
[WITHIN NIGERIA]
