Breaking: CUPP slams Tinubu over N39 billion ICC renovation, calls it “costly quest for immortality”

The Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP) has strongly criticized the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) for approving a staggering N39 billion to renovate the Abuja International Conference Centre (ICC), labeling the move as a “facelift fiasco” and a “costly quest for immortality” by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

In a statement issued on Wednesday, Chief Peter Ameh, National Secretary of CUPP, accused the Tinubu administration of engaging in reckless spending and neglecting essential public services, especially in the areas of education and healthcare.

“The Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP) is appalled by the FCTA’s reckless expenditure of N39 billion on refurbishing the already functional Abuja International Conference Centre,” Ameh said. “This is happening while critical sectors like education and healthcare in the FCT are crumbling.”

Ameh further lambasted the decision to rename the ICC after President Tinubu, calling it a blatant act of “self-glorification over nation-building.” He pointed out that the ICC, which was originally built in 1991 for N240 million under General Ibrahim Babangida, functioned effectively without being tied to any personal legacy.

“General Babangida, despite overseeing its construction from the ground up, never sought to immortalize his name on this landmark,” he said. “In stark contrast, President Tinubu, whose administration merely renovated the ICC, has renamed it the Bola Ahmed Tinubu International Conference Centre.”

CUPP expressed concern that the renaming of public infrastructure has become a recurring pattern, citing examples like the Bola Ahmed Tinubu Technology Innovation Complex, Bola Ahmed Tinubu Barracks, and Bola Ahmed Tinubu Federal Polytechnic.

“These actions reek of personal branding and a desperate bid to rewrite history through paint and concrete,” Ameh asserted. “We need transformative leadership, not monuments to personal ambition.”

He noted that the funds used for the ICC facelift could have been channeled into addressing urgent social needs. “Primary school children have been out of school for three months due to underfunding and neglect,” he said. “Area Councils and Primary Healthcare Centers have been paralyzed by months-long strikes, leaving communities without essential services. These are the real emergencies.”

CUPP also criticized the economic climate under the Tinubu administration, stating that the government appears “more committed to immortalizing a name than solving pressing national challenges.”

“While citizens grapple with soaring inflation, insecurity, failing healthcare, and a collapsing education system, this administration chooses vanity projects,” Ameh said. “This is not leadership—it is a shameful betrayal of public trust.”

Describing the renovation cost as excessive, he added, “For context, N39 billion is not just a renovation budget; it is a staggering leap from the N240 million used to build the ICC from scratch. This gross mismanagement of resources demands accountability.”

CUPP called for “an immediate investigation into the FCTA’s expenditure on the ICC renovation” and urged the federal government to redirect attention to pressing national needs.

“We urge President Tinubu to focus on building a legacy through tangible solutions—schools that educate, hospitals that heal, and industries that employ—rather than plastering his name on public assets,” Ameh said. “Nigerians deserve leadership that uplifts the nation, not a gallery of self-glorification.”

The opposition coalition concluded by demanding a shift in government priorities: “The time for misplaced priorities is over. Let us build a Nigeria that works for all.”