The International Conference Centre (ICC) in Gombe State was conceived by the administration of Governor Ibrahim Hassan Dankwambo in 2012 as an economic base to generate revenue for the state. The edifice which cost the government N4.34 billion was awarded to Messrs Vidro Nigeria Limited and the foundation was laid by the then Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal.
The centre’s magnificence welcomes visitors to the state coming from the Western axis as it is located on the outskirts of Gombe Metropolis along the Gombe-Bauchi highway.
The construction which began in November, 2012, was completed in 2017, and subsequently commissioned by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo on May 27, 2019, two days to the end of Dankwambo’s second and final tenure as governor.
Daily Trust gathered that the centre is divided into two wings: West and East, and a pre-function plaza. The pre-function plaza separates the building into the West and East wings. The pre-function plaza which has two fountains was designed to accommodate people awaiting events at the centre.
According to the building’s plan, the East wing has two floors; the ground floor consists of an open exhibition area, a lounge, café, kiosk, a pair escalators and toilets.
The first floor consists of Meeting Hall 1 (500 sitting capacity), Meeting Hall 2 (126 sitting capacity), mini meeting rooms 1 and 2 (20 and 30 sitting capacities respectively), a pre-function lobby and an office.
The West wing has three floors, the ground floor consists of a multipurpose hall (ball room with 3,000 sitting capacity; the executive waiting lounge, escalators, lifta, media centre, board room exhibition lounge, stores, business centre, shops, event planners department, ATM, phone booth, kitchen, service room and toilets are all en suite.
The first floor consists of seminar halls 1 and 2 with 100 and 150 sitting capacities respectively.
There is also a restaurant and a banquet facility with 150 sitting capacity, a registration lobby, functions officer’s office, café lounge 2, CCTV monitoring room, equipment/service room, general office/management pavilion and toilets.
The second floor consists of seminar halls 3, 4 and 5 (100, 120 and 150 sitting capacities respectively), mechanical and electrical room, projector room and toilets.
However, Daily Trust gathered that following the commissioning of the centre, it has remained under lock and key since the coming on board of the incumbent administration of Governor Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya.
But from July 17 to 18, 2019, the Nigerian Computer Society (NCS), an association to which the First Lady of Gombe State, Hajiya Asma’u Inuwa Yahaya, is a member, was allowed to use the centre for its annual conference, and immediately after the conference, the centre was again locked up and never put to use again; thereby leaving the beautiful edifice to rot.
Our correspondent who visited the centre recently observed that only few security men were on duty, with grasses taking over the premises.
A property expert, Dahiru Adamu, told Daily Trust that not putting the property into proper use might affect its market value.
Mr Adamu who advised the government to put the edifice to good use, said, “As you are aware, obsolescence exists in a property structure in different categories such as early stage, middle stage and old age. Therefore, on the conference centre, obsolescence may occur very early because of non-utilisation despite the huge capital expended.”
He, therefore, suggested that the state government might commercialise part of the structure to earn money for maintenance and use other parts for its parastatals and agencies.
Mr Adamu added that, “However, if the project continues to be abandoned because of political differences, then the tax payers’ funds at this critical point of generating income and reducing cost of government expenditure may be wasted.”
Commenting, a former Commissioner for Youth Development, Malam Farouk Yarma, said it was “political vendetta” that made the Gov Yahaya administration to “abandon” the centre.
Mr Yarma said the development was unhealthy for the state considering the huge amount of money spent on the project which was meant to generate revenue and prosperity to the present generation and generations yet unborn.
When contacted, the Commissioner for Information and Culture, Mr Julius Ishaya Lepes, denied any political undertone in the alleged abandonment of the centre.
Mr Lepes said, “The last administration hurriedly finished the project without necessarily completing it. It was not properly furnished. So, when our government came on board, we had to do a lot of deep thinking on what to do with it.
“Therefore, the management of the centre has been moved to the Gombe State Revenue Optimisation Company Limited (GROCOL), a new body created by the government to manage all the revenue generating assets of the state government.
“Also, based on information at my disposal, an interested party that wants to rent the place has approached GROCOL and discussion is ongoing. We are hopeful that both parties will arrive at a position that will see the centre completed and put to use.”
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