By Laide Akinboade, Abuja

President Bola Tinubu yesterday reiterated his administration’s determination to renew infrastructural development across the key sectors of Nigeria’s economy.Tinubu stated this at the reopening ceremony of International Conference Center (ICC) in Abuja.

He listed the key sectors as transportation, health care, education, energy and urban development. Tinubu said modern infrastructure is the backbone of a thriving economy in an inclusive and progressive society and ICC is part of the country’s larger vision to become a hub for regional diplomacy, continental trade discussions, global partnership and many more. He appealed to the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Nyeeom Wike to continue with the good work he is doing and to ignore all “Busybodies and distractors”.According to him, “I am greatly honoured and happy to be here to reopen this International Conference Centre as part of our determined efforts to change the way we do things, to reflect us as people of quality, people of character, people of determination, people of great spirit. That is who we are and I am glad that you, Nyesom Wike, are reflecting that.”Don’t pay attention to the busybodies and bystanders. Whatever they say, continue to do your good work. You are a transformational leader; you have the foresight, the vision and the determination to succeed. Thank you very much”.Tinubu recalled, “When I attended the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), Parliament here, it was a very dirty, disorganised, uninhabitable environment. Aside from the sidetalk, I had with the Senate President; I turned to Wike and said this conference centre is not reflecting who we are. Have we sunk this low? He said no but bear with us, we will do whatever we can do to transform the place. You won’t come back to find it in a dilapidated state and today I am very happy.”Whatever might be wrong today is a sign of the good thing that we are correcting, we are reflecting, renewing our hope and believing in ourselves in what we can do, what we can be – a great nation on earth.”Through the Renewed Hope Agenda, we are determined to renew infrastructure across the key sectors of this country – transportation, health care, education, energy and urban development.”Because you understand that modern infrastructure is the backbone of a thriving economy in an inclusive and progressive society. The International Conference Centre is part of our country’s larger vision to become a hub for regional diplomacy, continental trade discussions, global partnership and many more thoughtful, well outlined goals that reflect our ‘Nigeria First’.”You must obey what the landlord said – you want to use this place, you must pay for it”.The Senate President Godswill Akpabio in his goodwill message lamented the condition the center was in 2024, which he called a ‘monumental embarrassment’.”We came last year to inaugurate the first sitting of the ECOWAS Parliament. Parliamentarians came from all parts of West Africa. It was a monumental embarrassment. We managed to get a small generator working. This place was dark. This place was in a total state of disrepair.The Senate President who commended the FCT Minister for the transformation and said the National Assembly is proud of him.Wike Renames International Conference Centre after TinubuThe Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike has renamed the Abuja International Conference Centre as the Bola Tinubu International Conference Centre.The Minister also disclosed that other halls in the facility had been renamed after Vice President Kashim Shettima, Senate President Godswill Akpabio, House of Representatives Speaker, Tajudeen Abbas, and Chief Justice of Nigeria, Kekere-Ekun.“Today, this Bola Ahmed Tinubu International Conference Centre can stand any other International Conference Centre. And in doing that, because the National Assembly has also supported us, I have told you that as we were inspecting the project, at the back, we have two halls. We have to remember those who have also supported the FCT. The National Assembly is one such arm of government.“So we have named one hall Tajudeen Abbas hall, we have named Godswill Akpabio hall, and your Vice President, we have named one of these halls after the Vice President, and then the CJN, we have also named one of the halls after the CJN. And these are the three arms of the government, working together.“So I just said since it is a property under you, and the building is under you, then, it should have small names on those halls, but it should be under the Bola Ahmed Tinubu International Conference Centre,” he said.“It is important for the public to understand and to know why today, this is called the Bola Ahmed Tinubu International Conference Centre. This Conference Centre was built in 1991 under the military government. Since that time, nothing has happened to this International Conference Centre.Wike also ascribed the completion of the rehabilitated conference centre to the leadership of President Tinubu, stating, “Within eight months Mr President, this is what we have. And I agree that without your leadership, it wouldn’t have been possible.”The Minister also stated that any ministries or government agencies willing to use the Conference Centre will be made to pay going forward, to ensure the proper maintenance of the ICC.“How do we sustain this? I want to let everybody know, whether you’re a Ministry, whether you’re an agency, you want to use this, you have to pay something. That’s the only way it can be sustained. Nothing like my brother, my sister is going to have a wedding. If you want to use a place like this, such a beautiful place, then you must drop something,” he said.