…CUPP Slams FCTA’s N39 Billion Spend on Abuja Conference Centre While Education and Healthcare Suffer

The Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP) expresses deep concern over the Federal Capital Territory Administration’s (FCTA) reported expenditure of N39 billion on the renovation of the Abuja International Conference Centre (ICC)—an already functional facility. This excessive spending, coupled with a wave of renamings of public institutions in honour of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, raises serious questions about the administration's priorities at a time of national hardship.

Originally constructed in 1991 under the administration of General Ibrahim Babangida at a cost of N240 million, the ICC has long stood as a symbol of prudent national investment. Notably, General Babangida never sought to attach his name to the structure. In stark contrast, the current administration, having spent a staggering N39 billion on its renovation, has now renamed the venue the Bola Ahmed Tinubu International Conference Centre.

This trend of personalisation has spread to other institutions, including the Bola Ahmed Tinubu Technology Innovation Complex, Bola Ahmed Tinubu Barracks, and the Bola Ahmed Tinubu Federal Polytechnic. These decisions, CUPP believes, reflect a troubling focus on personal legacy over genuine national development.

The N39 billion allocated to this renovation could have been directed toward urgent and life-impacting priorities. Public primary schools in the FCT have remained closed for over three months due to chronic underfunding. Primary healthcare centres and Area Councils are incapacitated by prolonged strikes, leaving many communities without access to essential services.

While ordinary Nigerians face unprecedented inflation, insecurity, and systemic failures in healthcare and education, the administration’s focus on vanity projects amounts to a betrayal of public trust. Leadership should be measured by schools that teach, hospitals that heal, and industries that create jobs—not by the number of buildings bearing a president’s name.

CUPP calls for an immediate and transparent investigation into the N39 billion renovation project. Furthermore, we urge President Tinubu and the FCTA to urgently realign their governance priorities—focusing on education, healthcare, and economic empowerment, which are critical to national stability and growth.

The time for misplaced spending and symbolic self-promotion is over. Nigerians demand and deserve leadership grounded in substance, not self-glorification. Let the legacy be one of real change, not concrete inscriptions.