Nyesom Wike, Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, has renamed the Abuja International Conference Centre as the Bola Ahmed Tinubu International Conference Centre.
The minister also revealed that other halls in the institution had been renamed after Vice President Kashim Shettima, Senate President Godswill Akpabio, House of Representatives Speaker Tajudeen Abbas, and Nigeria’s Chief Justice, Kekere-Ekun.
Wike made the statement during the ICC’s inauguration in Abuja on Tuesday.
“Today, this Bola Ahmed Tinubu International Conference Centre can stand with 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,” he said.
“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. Since that time, nothing has happened to this International Conference Centre.
Wike also attributed the completion of the refurbished conference centre to Tinubu’s leadership, saying,
“Within eight months, Mr. President, this is what we have. And I agree that without your leadership, it wouldn’t have been possible.”
Wike also noted that any ministries or government entities who wish to utilise the Conference Centre in the future will be required to pay in order for the ICC to be properly maintained.
“How do we sustain this? I want to let everybody know, whether you’re a ministry or whether you’re an agency, if 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 said.
