• CUPP, HURIWA, Yesufu lash Tinubu, minister as FCT hospitals, schools suffer
• Tinubu, Akpabio extol Julius Berger for good job
Barrage of criticisms has erupted over the decision of the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) to spend a staggering N39 billion on renovating the Abuja International Conference Centre (ICC) – a fully functional facility – only to rename it after President Bola Tinubu.
The Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP) also expressed dismay over what it described as the FCTA’s reckless misplacement of priority with the expenditure of N39 billion for refurbishing a functional ICC, while critical sectors like education and healthcare in the territory were left to crumble.
Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) did not spare Tinubu, as it called the President to stop “personality cult worship” and the absolutely self-serving malfeasance of ministers naming refurbished publicly funded infrastructure after him.
The rights group called for the cancellation of the ICC renaming for being immoral, baseless and lacking historicity.
Also, a socio-political activist, Aisha Yesufu, lashed out at Tinubu following the development.
Leading the charge, CUPP called the move a “costly quest for immortality” and a brazen display of self-glorification in the face of mounting crises in education, healthcare and infrastructure across the FCT.
Meanwhile, Tinubu and Senate President Godswill Akpabio have reaffirmed Julius Berger’s exceptional commitment to excellence in the rehabilitation job.
They extolled the construction company for delivering the job on schedule.
Built in 1991 for N240 million under military president, Gen Ibrahim Babangida (rtd), the ICC has hosted global summits, presidential inaugurations and major national events.
Critics argue that the recent renovation, which cost over 160 times the original price tag, lacks transparency and fails to reflect public priorities.
“It is not just the money,” said CUPP’s National Secretary, Peter Ameh. “It is the symbolism. At a time pupils have been out of class for three months and primary health centres shut down across the FCT, this administration is focused on vanity projects and personal branding.”
The facility now bears the name Bola Ahmed Tinubu International Conference Centre, sparking backlash among civil society groups and opposition leaders who accuse the President of rewriting history with paintbrushes and billboards.
The ICC is one of several public assets recently renamed after the president, including a technology complex, a barracks and a federal polytechnic.
Residents of the capital are asking hard questions. “How do you justify spending N39 billion on a renovation while teachers and doctors are on strike?” asked Amina Mohammed, a public school teacher in Garki. “We need books, not billboards.”
FCTA has yet to release a detailed breakdown of the renovation costs or procurement process, fuelling speculation about inflated contracts and political patronage.
Meanwhile, CUPP is demanding a full investigation and calling on the Tinubu administration to redirect its focus towards “tangible legacy projects” that address Nigeria’s worsening cost of living, insecurity, and youth unemployment.
“This is not how legacies are built,” Ameh declared. “Real leadership builds schools that educate, hospitals that heal, and industries that empower – not monuments to ego.”
HURIWA alleged the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, is bribing the President by naming significant infrastructure after him in the hope that spending public funds under the FCT would not be subjected to thorough and transparent auditing.
The National Coordinator, Emmanuel Onwubiko said: “We the people of Nigeria are demanding an end to the opaque system of awarding contracts in the FCT, so credible observers drawn from the civil society organisations are invited to witness the transparency of the process of awarding contracts in the FCT. We also suspect foul-play in the policy of exiting the FCT from the Treasury Single Account (TSA) with no follow-up process of allowing the public to gain knowledge of how public funds are spent in the building of public infrastructure.”
The 10,000-capacity facility features cutting-edge acoustic systems, Artificial Intelligence (AI)-assisted translation booths and renewable energy components.
