The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister Nyesom Wike has hailed the pace and quality of work on the ongoing renovation of the International Conference Centre (ICC).
Wike said the nation’s capital deserves the best ICC.
The Minister spoke after inspection tour of the facility and N5 road in Life Camp, in the FACT.
Wike, who was grateful to President Bola Tinubu for his vision and commitment to excellence in transforming the ICC into a world class facility, said ICC is the first project that when completed will be inaugurated by the President to mark his second year in office.
He said: “I was thrilled to see the quality of the job, and I believe it’s a testament to what Abuja deserves. This is a prime example of effective leadership. When Mr. President inaugurated the Equal Rights Parliament late last year, the state of the ICC was appalling. No responsible leader would allow such a facility to be called an ICC.
“I informed Mr. President that immediate action was necessary to restore the center to its former glory. That’s what leadership is all about. The International Conference Center was built in 1991, and it’s surprising that no one had attempted to give it a facelift until now.
“Today, it’s been transformed into a world-class facility, thanks to Mr. President’s leadership and support.
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“We’re grateful to Mr. President for his vision and commitment to excellence. I’m proud to say that we’ve completed the first project that we handed over to Mr. President for inauguration”.
The Minister also spoke about his recent trip to China as a follow-up visit to support the production of water for the satellite towns.
He said: “We have signed the provision of water to some of the satellite towns, and as I speak to you, Mr. President has also included part of the funding in the national budget, which has been passed. We have also included it in our statutory budget, which has been laid before the National Assembly. We believe that next week, we will be invited for defense. This is a critical project for Mr. President.
“As I mentioned earlier, part of our inauguration this second year is the Abuja city water supply. Part of it will be done along the airport road. But having done that, what about the satellite towns?
“Mr. President said we must also provide water within the satellite towns. So, they are starting with Bwari Karu, and part of Kubwa, and it is now with the Bureau of Public Procurement. The procurement is ongoing, and the company handling it will be CGC, as they are the ones doing the greater Abuja water supply. Things are moving on well, thanks to God. But all this is also because we have strong support from Mr. President.”.