The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, says he has no regrets naming the newly renovated Abuja International Conference Centre after President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. Speaking on Friday during the launch of a 15-kilometre carriageway connecting Ring Road I to Wassa Junction, Wike addressed the backlash that followed the centre’s renaming earlier in the week.
Critics had questioned the decision and slammed the ₦39 billion spent on the renovation as unnecessary. Wike, however, dismissed the reactions as uninformed. He compared the move to naming landmarks like the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport and Moshood Abiola National Stadium after figures who didn’t build them, suggesting it was a matter of national honour, not construction credit.
He insisted that the renovation transformed nearly every part of the building, except the structure itself. Wike expressed disappointment at those who, according to him, preferred to complain rather than appreciate the development efforts under Tinubu’s administration. He argued that those calling the project a misplaced priority were ignoring the effect of inflation and the naira-dollar exchange rate since 1991, when the centre was originally built with ₦240 million.
According to Wike, questioning the cost or the renaming of the facility reflects a lack of understanding of the country’s current economic reality. He maintained that the centre’s upgrade was necessary to reflect Nigeria’s status as Africa’s leading nation. “We deserve the best,” he said, adding that the President had delivered exactly that.
