Timi Frank, former Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), has described the conferment of the Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger (GCON) on businessman, Gilbert Chagoury as a dark moment for Nigeria.
In a statement recently, Frank told President Bola Ahmed Tinubu that the decision sends a dangerous signal that corruption and conflicts of interest are being normalized at the highest levels of power.
This comes as Nigerian billionaire businessman Femi Otedola posted a congratulatory message to Chagoury.
Reacting, Frank said the honour— Nigeria’s second-highest national award—undermines public trust and the country’s anti-corruption posture, given widely reported allegations and judicial findings linking Chagoury to money-laundering cases arising from funds looted during the late General Sani Abacha junta.
“Today ranks among the saddest days of my life as a Nigerian,” Frank said, recalling reports that a Swiss court convicted Chagoury in 2000 in connection with laundering Abacha loot, after which he allegedly paid a fine of one million Swiss francs and returned about $66 million to the Nigerian government.
“To bestow one of our highest national honors on a person publicly tainted by allegations and judicial findings of corruption sends a deeply troubling message about our national values,” he added.
“Nigeria should not become a theater where corruption is rewarded, conflicts of interest are ignored, and foreign influence is leveraged against national and allied economic interests,” he warned, adding that the controversy has international governance implications.
He questioned the criteria used to confer the GCON on Chagoury, asking Nigerians to demand clarity on his contributions to national development.
“What hospitals, schools, or scholarships has he built or funded to merit this honor?” Frank asked.
“Beyond his name being linked for years to alleged corruption cases without clear conclusions, Nigerians deserve to know what qualifies him for this award and who among our business leaders has been similarly honored,” he stated.