International Conference Centre - News Agency Of Nigeria

Tinubu int. conference centre generates N700m in 3 weeks – Wike

Philip Daniel Yatai
Jul, Sun, 2025

Metro

Tinubu int. conference centre generates N700m in 3 weeks – Wike

222 total views today

By Philip Yatai

The newly rehabilitated Bola Ahmed Tinubu International Conference Centre, Abuja, has generated more than N700 million in three weeks.

The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Mr Nyesom Wike, disclosed this on Sunday, during a Thanksgiving Service at St. James’ Anglican Church, Asokoro, Abuja.

The thanksgiving was for the successful completion of project inaugurations by President Bola Tinubu to celebrate his second year in office.

Wike disclosed that the person that was managing the centre before the rehabilitation was remitting only N50 million to the FCT Administration annually.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls the public uproar when Wike announced that N39 billion was earmarked for the rehabilitation to upgrade the centre to international standard.

Bola Ahmed Tinubu International Conference Centre

The minister said that the move was finally paying off, with more than N700 million so far generated in just three weeks after it was reopened for public use.

“When we visited the centre in 2024, Tinubu described the centre as an eyesore, stressing that this is not the international conference centre that Nigeria should be presenting to the global community and directed that we rehabilitate the edifice.

“We shut the place down and within seven months we rehabilitated the centre.

“The shocking thing is that the man who was running it from Adamawa was paying the government N50 million a year.

“But in just three weeks that we opened it after the renovation, we have made over N700 million,” he said.

He added that when the FCT Administration took over the centre to carry out the rehabilitation, the person that was managing it called him all kinds of names.

The minister said that when he decided he would not allow the centre to be run down, some people painted all kinds of pictures and told all kinds of stories.

“These are people who claim that they want to rescue Nigeria,” he said.

He called on Nigerians to disregard people who had opportunities to be in government for several years but could not facilitate critical infrastructure in their states.

Wike explained that the thanksgiving service became necessary to thank God for the successful inauguration of 17 projects in 16 days by Tinubu to celebrate his second year in office.

“It was not easy. Nobody lost his life, no accident going from here to outside the city – Kwali, Gwagwalada and Bwari. It has not been easy.

“We thank God for the grace; we thank God for the strength given to all of us. It’s teamwork and we did it successfully,” he said. (NAN)

Edited by Yakubu Uba

Wike renames Abuja International Conference Centre after Tinubu

Philip Daniel Yatai
Jun, Tue, 2025

Metro

Wike renames Abuja International Conference Centre after Tinubu

251 total views today

By Philip Yatai

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 Tinubu in Abuja on Tuesday, as part of activities to celebrate the president’s second year in office.

He also named some of the halls after Vice President Kashim Shettima, Chief Justice of Nigeria, Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, Senate President Godswill Akpabio and Speakers of the House of Representative, Tajudeen Abbas.

This, according to him, is to thank them for supporting the FCT Administration and demonstrate the cordial working relationship, among the Executive, Judiciary and the Legislative arms of government.

He recalled that the conference centre was built in 1991 under the military government, adding that the centre has not been rehabilitated since then.

He said that Tinubu, in line with his “Renewed Hope Agenda”, gave the order to rehabilitate the centre, following the dilapidated state of the conference centre.

Wike added that following Tinubu’s quality leadership, the matching order has transformed the edifice to a befitting conference centre, which demonstrated 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, said that to maintain the facility, everybody that intends to use the conference centre must pay.

“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 that the centre was handed over to a politician to manage and he killed the place.

He added that when the FCT Administration took over the edifice to rehabilitate it, the politician dragged the FCT Administration to court amidst other pressures from politicians.

He thanked Tinubu for encouraging him to go ahead with the rehabilitation and ignore the distractors 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”.

Tinubu, who described Wike as a transformative leader, noted the dilapidated state of the centre when he visited the centre 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, is reflecting that,” the president said.

Tinubu urged Wike not to pay attention to the busybodies and bystanders, “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, Akpabio commended Wike for the renovation, rehabilitation, and transformation of the international conference centre.

“We are proud of the fact that we do the budgeting, we give the approvals, and you do the execution.,” he said.

NAN reports that the centre, 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. (NAN)

Edited by Sadiya Hamza