AT A GLANCE: Seven places named after Tinubu since he became president

 

Since May 29, 2023, when President Bola Tinubu stepped into office, his name has been etched onto at least seven public facilities.

From a bustling highway to a humming airport and barracks, Tinubu’s name is being woven into the fabric of the nation’s public space.

This wave of renamings has sparked debate over the symbolism and intent behind the decisions.

In January, the Network for the Actualisation of Social Growth and Viable Development (NEFGAD), a public procurement advocacy group, faulted the naming of public institutions after a sitting president.

NEFGAD described the act as “extreme sycophancy, unethical, and questionable practice”.

Here are seven notable places that have been plastered with the president’s name two years after he came into office.

BOLA AHMED TINUBU INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT,  MINNA

On March 10, 2024, Umar Bago, governor of Niger, renamed the Abubakar Imam International Airport in Minna, the state capital, after Tinubu.

The state government attributed the change to the president’s support for Niger state.

The federal government had, in 2023, directed the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) to rename 15 federal airports after notable Nigerians, including former president Muhammadu Buhari.

In 2023, Minna airport was named after Abubakar Imam, a Nigerian writer and journalist from Niger state, who pioneered the first Hausa-language newspaper in northern Nigeria. Less than a year after, the airport was renamed after Tinubu.

BOLA AHMED TINUBU WAY, ABUJA

On May 28, 2024, Nyesom Wike, minister of the federal capital territory (FCT), named the Abuja Southern Parkway after Tinubu, following its completion.

The road stretches from the Christian Centre to Ring Road One and is considered one of the city’s major spines, complementing the northern parkway, the major arterial known as Sani Abacha road that runs across Mabushi and terminates at Life Camp.

BOLA TINUBU BUILDING, NATIONAL ASSEMBLY 

On May 29, 2024, the national assembly management named its library after Tinubu.

The construction of the library started during the 9th assembly under the chairmanship of Ahmed Lawan, then-senate president and Femi Gbajabiamila, former speaker of the house of representatives.

The library was almost at the completion stage before the 9th assembly ended its tenure in June 2023.

It was completed by the 10th assembly and inaugurated by Tinubu after it was renamed after him.

BOLA AHMED TINUBU TECHNOLOGY INNOVATION COMPLEX (BATTIC)

On December 10, 2024, the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) christened its command and control centre as Bola Ahmed Tinubu Technology Innovation Complex (BATTIC).

“BATTIC is more than just a building. It is a leap forward, a bold step in modernising our immigration infrastructure, and a powerful tool in our ongoing efforts to safeguard the nation’s borders, manage migration effectively, and enhance national security,” Kemi Nanna Nandap, NIS comptroller-general, said while renaming the facility.

BOLA AHMED TINUBU POLYTECHNIC, GWARINPA

On January 16, 2025, the federal government approved the establishment of Bola Ahmed Tinubu Polytechnic, Gwarinpa, Abuja.

The federal government said the polytechnic will promote technological, vocational and entrepreneurial training in line with the national policy on education.

BOLA AHMED TINUBU BARRACKS, ASOKORO

On January 23, 2025, a newly built army barracks in Asokoro, Abuja, was named after Tinubu.

The barracks comprises 16 major-general quarters, 34 brigadier-general quarters, 60 major-colonel flats and 60 lieutenant-captain flats.

It also includes 180 senior non-commissioned officer flats, 264 flats for personnel on the rank of corporal and below, worship centres, sports facilities and a powerhouse.

Olufemi Oluyede, chief of army staff (COAS), said the barracks was named after Tinubu to “give honour to whom honour is due”.

TINUBU INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE CENTRE, ABUJA

On June 10, 2025, Wike renamed the renovated Abuja International Conference Centre (AICC) after Tinubu.

Constructed in 1991 during the Ibrahim Babangida regime, the AICC has been a key venue for official government events, global conferences, trade exhibitions, and corporate gatherings.

The minister also named halls within the AICC after Tajudeen Abbas, speaker of the house of representatives, Senate President Godswill Akpabio, Vice-President Kashim Shettima, and Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, chief justice of Nigeria (CJN).

https://www.thecable.ng/at-a-glance-seven-places-named-after-tinubu-since-he-became-president/