Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has disclosed that the newly inaugurated Bola Ahmed Tinubu International Conference Centre has already been fully booked until 2027.
Wike made the disclosure on Thursday during the inauguration of the Kugbo Bus Terminal in Abuja.
He noted that despite widespread criticism over the N39 billion spent on renovating the former Abuja International Conference Centre, the facility has quickly become one of the most sought-after venues in the country.
“You know, Nigerians pretend. They like good things, but they will pretend as if they don’t. That Conference Centre has been booked now till 2027, no space. In fact, I saw an application by the Deputy Speaker, on Constitutional Amendment. There’s no space, no day,” Wike said.
President Bola Tinubu had inaugurated the revamped facility on June 10, 2025, as part of activities marking his second anniversary in office.
Following the reopening, critics, including former presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, questioned the N39 billion renovation cost, suggesting it could have been better directed toward developmental needs such as education.
Addressing such concerns, Wike defended the investment, stressing the importance of maintaining the ICC’s standard and ensuring its sustainability.
“I’m trying to adjust if he can pay on time. Because it’s not free. There’s nothing like it’s the National Assembly. You have to pay something for us to sustain the facility. Yes, you are helping us to pass our budget, but it’s not for that area. We have to do it very well. Yes, you are passing the budget, which is part of your function, but the sustainability is key, because you won’t like it to be what it used to be before,” he added.
Also speaking at the event, the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, who represented President Tinubu, appealed to the Minister to consider making room for the House of Representatives Committee on Constitution Review and refund already-booked clients if necessary.
“I’m not happy to hear that the Constitutional Confab that we are planning by the National Assembly, we will not have space in the International Conference Centre, because of what you have done, that it has been booked till 2027. If they book it till 2027, what are we going to do? Was it our fault that you finished the job in such an international manner?
“Please find a way to return the money to those who booked, we will pay. Because we need that space to also showcase to the world. We are inviting a lot of international people, we would like them to see the good things in Nigeria. Don’t allow them to book it in 2028, otherwise we won’t even see a place to jubilate after we have won the election,” Akpabio said.
