By Dr. Tonye Clinton Jaja
In the year 2021, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) engaged my services to train 22 lawyers of the Ministry of Justice of the Gambia.
The said training was on the use of ICT in Legislative Drafting. The venue of the said training was the International Conference Centre (ICC) of the Gambia.
It is called the Sir Dawda Kairaba Jawara International Conference Centre in Bijilo, The Gambia.
It is a state-of-the-art technology-driven international conference centre built by the Government of China. Everything inside was technologically operated.
The hall that we used throughout the three days of training was all digitised from the microphones to the slide projectors and the audio recording devices. It was nothing short of what one sees in any industrialised country of Europe or the Americas.
The catering was five-star, it was so cosy and comfortable that at the end of each day’s training session, we were reluctant to return to our hotel rooms.
The pictures can be seen online at:https://www.oicgambia.org/sdkj-icc
The UNDP that funded this training must have spent nothing less than $30,000 on catering and Hall hire that went as revenue to the Government of The Gambia.
ONCE YOU PAY FOR THE HALL, YOU JUST MOVE IN AND USE THE HALL; YOU DON’T NEED TO HIRE A HALL DECORATOR OR FOOD CATERER!!!
THE AIR-CONDITIONING WAS FULLY FUNCTIONAL,(MORTUARY STANDARD) IN FACT WE HAD TO SWITCH IT OFF BECAUSE IT WAS GETTING TOO COLD!!!
In the year 2023, I travelled to Rwanda as a guest lecturer for the training of lawyers that was held at the International Conference Centre (ICC). Kigali, Rwanda.
Again, this ICC was even bigger than the one in the Gambia and also five-star standard or even more.
Right from the entrance gate, you are greeted with professional staff and inside the halls were exquisite.
The pictures that I snapped inside the hall and sent to family and friends in Nigeria, they thought it was inside a European country.
Again, all the revenue from the rent of the hall for our one-week training went to the coffers of the government of Rwanda.
ONCE YOU PAY FOR THE HALL, YOU JUST MOVE IN AND USE THE HALL; YOU DON’T NEED TO HIRE A HALL DECORATOR OR FOOD CATERER!!!
THE AIR-CONDITIONING WAS FULLY FUNCTIONAL,(MORTUARY STANDARD) IN FACT WE HAD TO SWITCH IT OFF BECAUSE IT WAS GETTING TOO COLD!!!
In the year 2020, I attended an event at the International Conference Centre (ICC), it was the annual PARLIAMENTARY LECTURE organised by the National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies (NILDS), Abuja.
A HALL DECORATOR WAS HIRED TO DECORATE THE HALL!!!
THEN A FOOD CATERER WAS ALSO HIRED. IF YOU ARE NOT A VIP, FOOD WOULD NOT BE SERVED TO YOU AT YOUR SEAT.
NO ONE KNOWS WHETHER THE MONEY PAID BY THE INSTITUTE FINALLY GOT TO THE COFFERS OF THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT OF NIGERIA!!!
As if to rub salt into an already festering sore and injury, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) has replied that anyone who is querying why ₦39,000,000 (thirty-nine billion) of public funds was used for renovation: “if you want to die, I have land to bury you”!!!
At least this is a better option, a more merciful method of euthanasia that is better than his previous option: “he said that if you want to die, go and hug an electric transformer”!!!
All these statements are evidence of disdain for the relevant laws about public procurement, fiscal responsibility and freedom of information!!!
The views expressed by contributors are strictly personal and not of Law & Society Magazine.
Wike’s speech seems to be a commentary on the state of affairs in Nigeria. What do you think about the comparison between the ICCs in Gambia, Rwanda, and Nigeria?