“Don’t pay attention to the busybody and the bystanders and whatever they say. Continue to do your good work. You are a transformational leader. You have the foresight, the vision and determination to succeed. Thank you very much.”
These were the words of President Bola Tinubu today, June 10, when he commissioned the newly rehabilitated International Conference Centre (ICC). The minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyeson Wike, under whose leadership the ICC was given a facelift, renamed it “Bola Ahmed Tinubu International Conference Centre.”
President Tinubu recalled his previous visit to the facility for an ECOWAS Parliament conference, describing its then-dilapidated state as an “embarrassment” and a stark reflection of decline.
According to the President, minister Wike had fulfilled his promise of completing the project before now.
The President stressed his commitment to renewing infrastructure across key sectors in the country, including transportation, healthcare, education, energy and urban development.
This was even as Nyeson Wike said that the ICC was built in 1991, and that it had suffered neglect over time.
He said that it was President Tinubu’s direct order for its renovation, born out of his disappointment with its then-poor condition, that spurred the rapid eight-month transformation.
“Without your (President Tinubu’s) leadership, it wouldn’t have been possible. You are not the only President who has been here; so many presidents have come here and none said this is not what Nigeria needs.
“You gave a marching order that this is not the quality to show that Nigeria is the giant of Africa.
“Today, this Bola Tinubu International Conference Centre can match any other international conference centre in the world.”
