Former All Progressives Congress (APC) Chieftain, Timi Frank has condemned the conferment of the Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger (GCON) on businessman Gilbert Chagoury.
In response to a report on Tuesday, Frank warned President Bola Ahmed Tinubu that the honour sends a harmful message, suggesting that corruption and conflicts of curiosity are being legitimised on the highest ranges of presidency.
Responding, Frank stated the award, Nigeria’s second-highest nationwide honour, erodes public confidence and weakens the nation’s anti-corruption stance, significantly in gentle of extensively reported allegations and judicial findings linking Chagoury to money-laundering circumstances linked to funds looted through the regime of late Basic Sani Abacha.
“At this time ranks among the many saddest days of my life as a Nigerian,” Frank stated, recalling studies {that a} Swiss courtroom convicted Chagoury in 2000 over the laundering of Abacha loot, after which he allegedly paid a superb of 1 million Swiss francs and returned about $66 million to the Nigerian authorities.
“To bestow one in all our highest nationwide honors on an individual publicly tainted by allegations and judicial findings of corruption sends a deeply troubling message about our nationwide values,” he added.
“Nigeria shouldn’t grow to be a theater the place corruption is rewarded, conflicts of curiosity are ignored, and international affect is leveraged in opposition to nationwide and allied {economic} pursuits,” he warned, noting that the problem carries critical worldwide governance implications.
He additionally questioned the premise for awarding the GCON to Chagoury, urging Nigerians to hunt transparency relating to his contributions to nationwide improvement.
“What hospitals, faculties, or scholarships has he constructed or funded to benefit this honor?” Frank requested.
“Past his identify being linked for years to alleged corruption circumstances with out clear conclusions, Nigerians should know what qualifies him for this award and who amongst our enterprise leaders has been equally honored,” he acknowledged.