Fourteen months after the International Conference Centre (ICC) in Abuja was shut down for renovation, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, alongside the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, inaugurated the rehabilitated facility on Tuesday, with pomp and circumstance as the minister renamed the national asset after the president.

Tinubu hailed the rehabilitation of the ?very dirty, disorganised and uninhabitable? centre as a part of Nigeria?s larger vision to become ?a hub for regional diplomacy, continental trade discussions, global partnerships, and many more thoughtful, well-outlined goals that reflect our Nigerian First philosophy.?

However, there are concerns over the cost of renovating the edifice, which gulped the sum of N39 billion. Bar inflationary effects over time, the sum is 162 times more than N240 million used to build the centre in 1991 by the General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida (rtd) regime.

What N39 billion can do

Amidst disturbing decay in health and education infrastructure across the country, Weekend Trust breaks down the renovation cost, estimating the number of classrooms and primary healthcare centres the money ? totalling capital expenditures of 12 federal universities or nine federal medical centres in the approved 2025 budget ? could have been used to construct or renovate.

Many communities in Nigeria, especially in underserved rural areas, parade dilapidated schools with blown roofs and cracked walls. Classrooms are without furniture, as pupils learn in crudely non-conducive environments, sitting under the trees or on bare floor. In communities where there are no nearby schools, children trek long distances to receive formal education in neighbouring villages where schools are located or shun learning outrightly.

Every fiscal year, the government attempts to respond to these precarious situations by committing certain amounts to renovating decrepit classrooms or building new ones. In the approved 2025 budget of the Federal Ministry of Education, rehabilitation of public schools was estimated at N40.5 billion; N5.063 billion was set aside for the purchase of teaching/learning aid equipment, and N100 million was budgeted for the construction/provision of libraries.

The budget puts the cost of building ?10 blocks of two modern classrooms each with offices, storage, furniture and solar-powered installation in Nasarawa State at N650,000,000.? This means each block of two classrooms will cost N65 million. Invariably, N39 billion spent on the conference centre can build 600 blocks of two classrooms ? 1,200 classrooms.

Weekend Trust reports that only N1,972,700,201, representing 5 per cent of the N39 billion, was earmarked for the capital spending of the National Library of Nigeria in the current budget. Also, the sum is a little higher than the capital expenditures of 12 federal universities.

The Institutions include the University of Benin, N3,608,643,195; University of Jos, N4,156,046,096; University of Calabar, N4,598,894,949; University of Ilorin, N2,092,215,470; University of Ibadan, N2,172,673,766; Federal University of Technology, Akure, N1,039,371,080; and Federal University of Technology, Minna, N2,605,817,308. Others are the University of Lagos, N2,169,395,270; the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, N2,202,871,372; the University of Port Harcourt, N1,763,861,874; Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, N5,270,991,010; and Bayero University, Kano, N7,117,712,322.

Statistics from local and global health bodies have linked thousands of deaths, including child and maternal mortalities, in Nigeria to poorly equipped hospitals, particularly primary healthcare centres (PHCs) which are meant to provide essential healthcare services to the people at the grassroots. A 2022 report on the state of primary healthcare in Nigeria, revealed that 80 per cent of the 30,000 PHC facilities across the country fell below the standard. In 2016 alone, Nigeria recorded 376,039 deaths as a result of inadequate access to quality healthcare delivery, according to the Lancet Global Health Commission Report.

The 2025 budget estimates renovation and provision of equipment in a PHC at N75m-N150m. Construction and upgrading of a PHC in Jagindi Tasha, Kaduna State, is pegged at N90m, while building a primary healthcare centre in Igbemo-Ekiti, Ekiti State, will consume N125m. This means that even at higher estimates (of N150m and N125m), N39bn would renovate and equip 260 PHCs or build 312 new ones.

It costs N25m to construct a community clinic that can serve locals at Mwarawo Community in Adamawa State, according to the budget. And with N39bn, over 1,500 units can spring up in hard-to-reach communities that lack access to basic healthcare services, according to checks by Weekend Trust.

A further analysis shows that the cost of renovating the ICC is more than the combined capital expenditures approved for nine federal medical centres (FMC) in the 2025 budget. The hospitals are; FMC, Umuahia, Abia State, N9,635,655,307; FMC, Owo, Ondo State, N5,902,309,349; FMC, Markurdi, Benue State, N3,198,886,153; FMC, Asaba, Delta State, N4,600,840,888; FMC, Taraba State, N5,475,224,653; FMC, Nguru, Yobe State, N575,681,006; FMC, Bayelsa State, N2,141,500,528; FMC, Ebute Metta, Lagos, N3,910,909,779; and FMC, Jigawa State, N2,551,632,864.

Also, N1,314,944,149 earmarked for the National Health Insurance Scheme in the current budget represents a 3.3 per cent of the N39bn expended on the conference centre rehabilitation, while the entire capital expenditure (N47,145,697,420) of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency?with the mandate to strengthen primary healthcare systems at the grassroots level and ensure access to essential health services in urban and rural areas?is 18 per cent more than the renovation cost.

Wike defends project

Meanwhile, the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, has downplayed those criticising the amount spent on the project, saying it was meant to build a centre of international standard that it was supposed to be.

He said virtually everything at the centre, apart from its blocks, was changed during the renovation.

Wike, who was reacting to the critics of the project during the commissioning of the Apo- Wasa road on Friday, said, ?People are criticising the International Conference Center. You know, there are people naturally, they don?t have good taste. The only thing in that International Conference Center that was not changed is the block work. Everything in that Bola Ahmed Tinubu International Conference Center was changed.

?If you love this country, you cannot criticise. It?s not about I wear only one shoe, telling people lies. It?s a lie. It?s not about, oh, I carry my bag. No. Nigeria, as a giant of Africa, must not only show that they are a giant, people must see what makes you the giant of Africa. Nobody that loves this country will criticise that International Conference Center.

??There?s one television, one media house, I don?t normally watch them but somehow, by spiritual directive, I had to turn on. I saw somebody, I don?t know his name, normally I don?t like to know people?s names who don?t have anything to offer. He said, oh, they did not name the International Conference Center after somebody who built it. Nnamdi Azikiwe Airport was not built by Nnamdi Azikiwe. Moshood Abiola Stadium was not built by Moshood Abiola.

?Another one is that, oh, it was built with N240 million. Which year? 1991. What was the exchange rate in 1991 and compare the exchange rate? People will just sit down for the sake of criticising. Look at the exchange rate in 1991 and 2025, and then compare.

??Oh, they built it with so so billion. So what? 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 opportunity, it?s not our fault. You were there, they were hitting your boss left, right and center and you couldn?t defend your boss. I am here, I will defend my boss, and I have the capacity to defend my boss. If you want to die, I have a lot of land to give you where they will bury you. I am not afraid of that. After all, population is too high. So if you want to die, you die because you choose to die.

??Why would you not commend somebody who has done well? You are not happy that they named it after Mr. President, go and kill yourself. I have done it and I have no regrets at all.

The minister added ?Somebody said it is a misplaced priority; you that cannot win an election. He is telling us misplaced priorities. If you have priorities, Nigerians would have voted for you. It is not about social media. You say you will run an election; wait, 2027 is here. We don?t need to kill ourselves, when jungle matures, we will all know?.

Birth of ICC

The construction of the ICC was conceived to host the 27th summit of the Organisation of African Unity (now African Union) in 1991, in the wake of political turmoil in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, the union?s headquarters where the summit is usually held. In his recently published memoir titled, ?Journey in Service,? General Babangida revealed that as the date of the summit drew nearer, Addis Ababa had become ?strategically compromised? due to the raging civil war with rebels opposed to the communist regime of Mengistu Haile Mariam. Following predictions that the city would have been overrun or dangerously besieged by the summit date, it was advised that the event be postponed, moved to a different venue, or cancelled pending the return of normalcy to Addis Ababa.

?We decided to embark on the building of what is today the International Conference Centre (ICC). The contractors agreed to an oil swap arrangement under which we would barter barrels of oil in advance as part payment for the financing of the project. We also needed to build a new dual carriage highway linking the airport to the city centre. In addition, residential accommodation for VIP guests alongside a fleet of limousines was written into the budget,? Babangida wrote.

Built at a cost of N240 million, the facility had aged over the years, until it was shut down by the FCT minister, Wike, in April 2024 for rehabilitation.

?It?s unfortunate, like I?ve always said; after that period, the whole place died. This was given to one senator, who was making money out of it but killing the edifice. We, of course, had to take a drastic decision? I?m happy with what is going on. Julius Berger had promised us that they were going to complete it. This is at the cost of N39 billion. We are spending N39bn,? Wike had said during an inspection of the rehabilitation work at the centre in March 2025.

Renaming of ICC after Tinubu

The renaming of ICC as Bola Ahmed Tinubu International Conference Centre by Wike has drawn the ire of opposition parties, civil society organisations and activists, many of whom argued that the former military president, Ibrahim Babangida, whose administration built the edifice, did not name it after himself. They also frowned at the trend of renaming public institutions after Tinubu.

The National Secretary of the Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP), Chief Peter Ameh, in a statement on Wednesday, said, ?The brazen renaming of public institutions after President Bola Ahmed Tinubu exposes a disturbing focus on self-glorification over nation-building.?

He described the N39bn renovation of the ICC as a ?staggering misallocation of resources?, while critical sectors like education and healthcare in the FCT crumbled, noting that ?General Babangida, despite overseeing its construction from the ground up, never sought to immortalise his name on this landmark.?

?In stark contrast, President Tinubu, whose administration merely renovated the ICC at an outrageous cost of N39 billion, has renamed it; the Bola Ahmed Tinubu International Conference Centre. This pattern extends to other public assets, including the Bola Ahmed Tinubu Technology Innovation Complex, Bola Ahmed Tinubu Barracks, and Bola Ahmed Tinubu Federal Polytechnic. Such actions reek of personal branding and a desperate bid to rewrite history through paint and concrete, rather than through transformative leadership.

?The N39bn squandered on this unnecessary facelift could have funded a new, state-of-the-art national monument or addressed the dire crises plaguing the FCT. Primary school children have been out of school for three months due to underfunding and neglect.

?Area councils and primary healthcare centres have been paralysed by months-long strikes, leaving communities without essential services. These are the real emergencies demanding urgent attention, yet the administration prioritises vanity projects over the welfare of Nigerians,? he said.

Ameh further lamented that while citizens grapple with soaring inflation, insecurity, failing healthcare, and a collapsing education system, the Tinubu administration ?appears more committed to immortalising his name than solving these pressing challenges.?

?This is not leadership but a shameful betrayal of public trust. For context, N39bn is not just a renovation budget; it is a staggering leap from the N240m used to build the ICC from scratch. This gross mismanagement of resources demands accountability,? he added.

This paper had reported in February 2025, how five public institutions, including those Ameh cited, were named after President Tinubu within 11 months, beginning with the renaming of the Abubakar Imam International Airport in Minna as Bola Ahmed Tinubu International Airport by the Niger State Government in March, 2024. The airport had only been named after Abubakar Imam nine months earlier, in June 2023, in recognition of his contributions to northern Nigeria?s literary, political and educational landscape.

In May 2024, the National Assembly Library and Resource Centre was inaugurated and named the Bola Tinubu Building. There is also a bill for the establishment of Bola Ahmed Tinubu Federal University of Nigerian Languages in Aba, Abia State, before the House of Representatives.

?In less than a year [as of February 2025], four public institutions have been named after President Bola Tinubu. This abuse of norms is rooted in the sycophantic culture that has grown in recent times. The president should put a stop to this, as he is signalling a culture that is highly unacceptable,? Seun Onigbinde, the co-founder of BudgIT, a civil society organisation promoting transparency and accountability in Nigeria, had posted on X (formerly Twitter).

CSOs raise concerns over renovation cost

The Executive Director of the Resource Centre for Human Rights and Civic Education (CHRICED), Dr. Ibrahim Zikirullahi, said spending N39bn on the renovation of a building originally constructed at the cost of N240m was indicative of the character of the calibre of people managing the affairs of Nigeria.

?The APC-led federal government since the era of Buhari?s administration has demonstrated unmatched prodigal tendencies in the management of public funds, and Tinubu?s government is taking it a step further,? Zikirullahi said.

He said that incurring such a huge expenditure on the renovation of just one structure, at a time when schools and hospitals across the FCT are on strike due to the failure of the FCT Administration to meet up with the payment of workers? salaries and other statutory entitlements, underscored the degree of insensitivity of the current administration to the plight of ordinary Nigerians.

Also, the Executive Director of the Grassroots Centre for Rights and Civic Orientation (GCRCO), Mr. Armsfree Ajanaku, said the huge renovation cost of the conference centre stands transparency and accountability on their heads.

?What exact level of renovation requires such a huge sum? What were the processes for the procurement and execution of the renovation? What companies engaged in bidding for the project and what were the criteria for selection?

?The FCTA needs to ensure proactive disclosure on these issues. Huge expenditure to renovate a conference centre comes across as a misplaced priority in the same FCT where teachers have been on strike, leaving children in public primary schools stranded at home for three months.

?We believe public funds should be expended in a judicious, transparent and efficient manner to directly touch the lives of citizens, especially in the face of unemployment and deepening poverty in the country,? Ajanaku said.

Centre must generate revenue, says economist

An economist at the Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ogun State, Professor Sheriffdeen Tella, said now that the renovation is over, the focus should be on ensuring that the centre generates income to cover the cost and subsequent maintenance.

?What is important now is that it should be able to generate income to meet the expenses spent. The government has already said that whoever is using it will have to pay. That is our main concern now because they have already spent the money. We don?t know the condition it was in before the renovation, even though we know contracts in Nigeria are always overinflated. To that extent, one cannot say whether the amount is right or wrong,? he stated.

Country Director of Action Aid Nigeria (AAN), Mr. Andrew Mamedu, maintained that the decision to spend N39bn on renovating ICC ought to have been assessed through the lens of value for money, public accountability, and return on investment, adding that the project raised questions about cost efficiency and transparency.

?While we recognise that infrastructure like the ICC is intended to generate income through rentals and hosting of events, the scale of this expenditure, especially amidst widespread hardship and competing priorities demands greater scrutiny.

?At a time when millions of Nigerians are battling poverty, hunger, and insecurity, public spending must be subjected to rigorous cost-benefit analysis to ensure it directly contributes to the well-being of citizens.

?Infrastructure investments should never be done in isolation from the broader development context. The issue here is not whether the ICC should be maintained, it should, but how much is being spent, how transparently it?s being procured, and how such spending translates into tangible returns for the public,? he said.

Mamedu said accountability and not optics, must guide public spending.

?We urge the federal government to ensure full disclosure of the project?s scope, procurement process, and expected economic gains. Citizens deserve to know how their resources are being used and how those decisions improve their lives,? he added.

Also, a professor of Economics at the University of Lagos, Olufemi Saibu, argued that the renovation of ICC was a good investment in terms of its envisaged economic impact.

?The president has already said people would pay for using it and the minister also said the money would be recovered in 10 years. If the materials used in renovating and the engineers who worked on it were sourced locally, that is a good thing. We can be sure there was no case of capital flight.

?The money spent must have been captured in the budget irrespective of whether it is billions of naira. However, it becomes an issue if it is found that the money was misappropriated. Let us hope that the centre would be able to generate income and benefit Nigerians,? he stated. (Weekend Trust)

Update news