Wetin di law tok about conferment of GCON, oda national awards?
Wia dis foto come from, Bola Tinubu/X/
Di conferment of national honour of Grand Commander of di Order of di Niger (GCON) by President Bola Tinubu to Gilbert Chagoury to mark im 80th birthday, don cause plenty tok-tok for Nigeria social media.
Di presidency neva officially announce dis award, although Punch Newspaper report say presidential tok-tok pesin Bayo Onanuga confam am.
But e bicom public afta ogbonge Nigeria billionaire, Femi Otedola, post am for im X handle to congratulate oga Chagoury who e describe as im role model and mentor.
Otedola also share di award certificate wia dem write Gilbert Chagoury name and di message: "In exercise of di power vested in me unda section 1(4) of di National Honours Act, I, President Bola AHmed Tinubu, President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, in recognition of your outstanding virtues, and in appreciation of your services to our kontri Nigeria, hereby award you to have and enjoy di title, dignity and all di privileges of Grand Commander of di Order of di Niger (GCON)".
Oga Chagoury na Lebanese-Nigerian business man wey don get plenty investment for Nigeria ova di years. tori be say dem born am for Lagos.
How pesin fit get national honour award?
Di National Honours Act prescribe di ways wey pesin fit get di di National Honours Awards, how many pipo dem fit give di award in a year, di requirement for di award, and di offences against di award.
According to dis Act, di national honours award dey categorised into two 'Orders of Dignity':
- Di Order of di Federal Republic
- Di Order of di Niger
Each of di Orders get four ranks
- 'Grand Commander' - wey be di highest
- 'Commander'
- 'Officer'
- 'Member'
Section 1(4) of di Act also clearly tok say na di President get di power to make di awards, but e go do am "in accordance wit di provisions of di Constitution of di Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999".
Di numba of pipo wey fit get di award of 'Grand Commander' no fit pass two - for di Order of di Federal Republic - and ten - for di Order of di Niger - in any calendar year.
Di oda ranks also get specific numba wey di awardees no fit pass in a year, for instance, for di award of 'Member' for either di Order of di Federal Republic or di Order of di Niger, di maximum numba of awardees in a year na 100.
Di Act provide say di ogbonge requirement for pesin to get di National Honour Award na say di pesin must be a citizen of Nigeria, e no tok weda di pesin must be citizen by birth or by naturalisation.
However, pesin wey no be citizen of Nigeria "go dey eligible for appointment as di honorary holder of any rank of an Order".
Section three of di Act tok say bifor di President go appoint sumbodi to any rank for di National Honour Award, e go first give notice for di Federal Gazette, but for section two wey tok about pipo wey no be citizens, di act tok say "appointments made in pursuance of dis paragraph shall be disregarded for di purposes of paragraph (3) of di foregoing article".
Wetin pipo dey tok
Di GCON award wey President Tinubu give to Gilbert Chagoury na di second highest national honour for Nigeria, afta di Grand Commander of di Federal Republic (GCFR).
Dis award na normally for serving and former Vice Presidents, and oda high pipo for govment like di president of di Senate, Chief Justice, etc.
Also top world leaders and oda distinguished individuals fit get di award depending on di discretion of di President.
Dis na di second time President Tinubu dey award di GCON award to pesin wey no be Nigerian; di first one na wen e give di award to di Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi during in visit to Nigeria in November 2024.
Dat award no too generate controversy like dis one to Chagoury, as pipo dey wonder wetin di Lebanese businessman don do for Nigeria to merit such ogbonge national honour.
Former tok-tok pesin for di ruling All Progressives Congress, Timi Frank, criticise di award as e tok say: "Nigerians deserve to know di concrete contributions to national development wey justify dis award. Nigeria deserves a system wia honours go be symbols of unity, excellence and service."
However, one X user wey im handle na @bossmanakanbi, e tok say di recognition to Gilbert Chagoury dey 'well-earned'. Akanbi describe Chagoury as pesin wey im leadership dey "inspire many Nigerians to broaden dia horizons and pursue ambitious goals".
Who be Gilbert Chagoury?
Wia dis foto come from, Photo by Alexandra Wyman/Getty Images
Tori be say dem born Gilbert Ramez Chagoury for Lagos in 1946 as im parents na immigrants from Lebanon.
Im and im younger brother Ronald Chagoury bin start di Chagoury group for 1971.
Chagoury na known associate of former Nigerian military head of state Sani Abacha, and tori be say after Abacha die in 1998, Chagoury bin pay back about $300 million to di Nigerian govment.
Also, e no be secret say Chagoury and President Tinubu don be friends and associate from far back wen Tinubu be di guvnor of Lagos State.
Na di Chagoury group dey behind ogbonge establishments for Lagos, like di Banana Island estate for Ikoyi and di Eko Atlantic City.
More recently, di federal govment of Nigeria bin award di Lagos-Calabar coastal highway construction to Hitech Construction Company, wey be part of di Chagoury Group.
Plenty pipo bin criticise di award of di contract as dem say di process lack transparency.
Chagoury also get national awards for oda kontris including St Lucia, Lebanon, Rwanda, Benin Republic and Chad.
