Tinubu’s ₦39bn ICC Renovation: A New Sovereign Stage or Vanity?

Tinubu’s ₦39bn ICC Renovation: A New Sovereign Stage or Vanity?

By Blessing Ele

Peace Ambassador | Youth Advocate | Writing from Abuja

When news broke that the Abuja International Conference Centre (ICC) had been renovated at the cost of ₦39 billion and renamed after the sitting president as Bola Ahmed Tinubu International Conference Centre, it was not surprising that tempers rose before any speech was made, with many citizens questioning its timing, cost, and rechristening amid economic hardship. 

The project, though part of a broader 19-day commissioning drive under the Renewed Hope Infrastructure Initiative, is happening at a time when public trust appears so fragile that every government move is met with suspicion.

But before we toss the entire revived  structure into the fire of our collective frustration, perhaps a bit of history might remind us what the ICC was meant to be and what it could still become.

Built in 1991 under General Ibrahim Babangida, the ICC was envisioned as Nigeria’s foremost diplomatic stage, a global podium designed to project the Giant of Africa’s voice to the world. According to records from the Federal Ministry of Information and National Orientation, it was intended to rival continental counterparts like the African Union’s headquarters in Addis Ababa and the Kenyatta International Convention Centre in Nairobi.

Yet by the early 2000s, the once proud edifice had fallen into disuse and disrepair. A 2005 internal memo from the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE) reportedly recommended converting it into a privately managed hotel facility due to underutilisation and poor maintenance.

It took diplomatic pressure during the 2006 African Union Summit, hosted in Abuja, to revive interest in the centre. As documented by ThisDay newspaper (January 2006 edition), a West African delegate remarked: “If Nigeria wants to lead, it must have a sovereign stage.” 

That phrase holds even greater truth today.

As the Big Brother of Africa, Nigeria needs a sovereign stage not only for meetings, but for meaning. A space where the most populous black Nation can host world leaders, investors, global summits, drive her own agenda, and assert her continental role. Because when the world gathers on your soil, under your roof, in a space that speaks dignity, it gives you leverage.

Think diplomacy. Think influence. Think foreign revenue.

The revitalised State of the art Bola Ahmed Tinubu International Conference Centre has the potential to bring the world to us. And when it does, it will bring more than dignitaries. It will bring foreign currency, contracts, and employment for young Nigerian businesses and entrepreneurs.

Take Rwanda as an example. According to the Rwanda Development Board (RDB) 2023 Annual Report, Rwanda earned over $60 million from conference tourism in that year alone. That revenue did not sit in government coffers. It moved through Kigali’s economy, touching taxi drivers, caterers, printers, interpreters, event planners, and thousands of small businesses. All while giving them soft continental power. That is the hidden power of a sovereign stage.

Nigeria, with its larger population and far bigger economy, is trying to walk the same path. And if done well, our youths stand to benefit the most.

People have already earned from this project. From construction crews to plumbers, vendors, decorators, media workers, and local caterers at the commissioning. The online buzz too, whether outraged or amused, is generating traffic. And traffic, in the digital economy, means income for content creators, bloggers, and media analysts.

Many may disagree on the name etched into the wall. But perhaps, just perhaps, we can agree that Nigeria, the Giant of Africa, deserves a sovereign stage. One that reflects her size, her pride, and her future.