On Friday, FCT Minister Nyesom Wike defended the ₦39bn renovation of the Abuja International Conference Centre, now renamed after President Tinubu. He said only the blockwork remained unchanged and that critics “lack taste.” He argued inflation and exchange rate shifts justified the cost.
- FCT spent ₦39bn refurbishing ICC, renamed Bola Ahmed Tinubu International Conference Centre.
- Wike said, “Everything was changed, except the blockwork.” (Channels TV, June 2025)
- Critics cited the original 1991 build cost of ₦240m vs 2025’s ₦39bn.
- Wike defended the naming choice, citing precedent: Azikwe Airport, Abiola Stadium.
Taste, in Nigerian culture, is often equated with pride, modernity, and status. Wike’s “we have taste” remark challenges the idea that public projects must be cheap to be valuable. His defence reframes cost as investment, not excess. But it also raises hard questions about perception gaps in public spending and what Nigerians define as “development.” Should our national image be rooted in frugality or splendour? In the long run, will citizens feel served or sidelined by such choices?
Sources: Channels TV, TheCable
