Minister of the Federal Capital Territory FCT, Nyesom Wike has ordered the immediate closure of the famous Abuja International Conference Centre, ICC as well as the cancellation of all bookings by clients.
The minister who was visibly angry at the state of disrepair of the facility, gave the order on Monday after an extensive tour of the sprawling complex.
Wike had earlier revoked the contract of the facility managers, Messrs Integrated Facility Management Services Limited, and awarded the contract to Julius Berger Nigeria Plc -the original builders- for “the immediate and comprehensive renovation” of the ICC.
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Lamenting that for a long time the Centre had been left to rot, Wike said after renovation by Julius Berger, the complex would then be handed over to the Abuja Investments Company Limited AICL as opposed to the former method of engaging private facility managers.
Speaking after the inspection, Wike said; “We have gone round; you and I know that it is unacceptable. No way we can accept this as an international conference centre. You can call this a conference centre, but not international.
“We cannot continue to be embarrassed in this way. So, we are sorry to announce this, every booking to use this place is cancelled because we will start immediate rehabilitation of this centre, to meet up with international standard.
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“We have called the original contractor that built this edifice, that is Julius Berger, to come back, because if we had brought a new contractor, it would take us time as they would be asking for the building olan to understudy it and all that.
“We believe that in the next seven to eight months, we will be able to do something that people will appreciate. And then that means the FCDA will now take over the rehabilitation with Julius Berger, and then hand over to Abuja Investment Company”.
The Minister also stated that he would not probe the previous facility managers on their handling of the facility especially with booking fees which accrued which were not paid to government coffers in the last three years.
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“I am not here to probe anybody, I don’t want to begin to find excuses why the jobs are not doing well. The Managing Director of Abuja Investment Company knows what to do, mine is to give the country a befitting International Conference Centre. And if she does not do it well, we have no choice but to wield the big stick, but I believe she has the capacity to run it well”, Wike said.