The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has defended the ₦39 billion spent on the renovation of the International Conference Centre (ICC) in Abuja, dismissing critics as people who “do not have good taste.”
Speaking on Friday, Wike addressed public backlash over the cost of the project and the recent decision to rename the facility after President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. Some Nigerians had argued that the centre should have been named after former military Head of State, General Ibrahim Babangida, under whose regime the facility was originally constructed in 1991 at a cost of ₦240 million.
“The only thing that was not changed in that International Conference Centre is the block work. Everything else was replaced,” Wike stated. He emphasized that the sharp rise in the cost of goods and services since 1991 justifies the ₦39 billion now spent on the comprehensive renovation.
The newly refurbished centre was officially commissioned by President Tinubu on Tuesday and renamed the Bola Ahmed Tinubu International Conference Centre.
Addressing the controversy, Wike said:
“Those criticising the amount of money spent on the rehabilitation of the International Conference Centre don’t have good taste.”
The FCT minister insisted that the upgrades were necessary to bring the facility up to modern standards.
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