In every nation, honours serve a purpose beyond ceremony. They are instruments of memory. They tell a story about what a society values, whom it celebrates, and what kind of conduct it ultimately endorses. This is why the recent decision by Bola Ahmed Tinubu to confer the Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger (GCON) on Gilbert Chagoury has stirred deep unease across sections of the Nigerian public.

The concern is not driven by envy, politics, or sentiment. It is driven by history.

Gilbert Chagoury is not merely a successful businessman who rose by enterprise alone. His name is inseparable from one of the most traumatic periods in Nigeria’s economic history — the era of Sani Abacha, under whose rule billions of dollars were siphoned from the public treasury. That era left scars Nigeria is still struggling to heal, as recovered funds continue to trickle back from foreign jurisdictions decades after Abacha’s death.

This context cannot be wished away.

During international investigations into Abacha-era looting, Swiss authorities prosecuted Chagoury for money laundering linked to funds traced to the Abacha network. He was convicted, fined, and compelled to return substantial sums. These were not allegations resolved by reputation management or public relations; they were judicial findings concluded in a foreign court of law. Later, in the United States, federal authorities investigated his involvement in illegal foreign political donations, leading to a significant financial settlement to resolve the matter.

These facts are part of the public record. They form the historical backdrop against which any national honour must be evaluated.

Supporters of the GCON award argue that Chagoury’s later years tell a different story. They point to his investments in Nigeria’s built environment, his role in large construction projects, luxury real estate developments, and the ambitious Eko Atlantic City project. They cite employment creation, urban expansion, and corporate philanthropy. They reference donations to health institutions, educational causes, and emergency interventions, including support during national crises.

All of this is true — but it is not sufficient.

The issue before Nigeria is not whether Gilbert Chagoury has done good things. It is whether the totality of his record — including legal culpability in financial flows connected to Nigeria’s looting — qualifies him for one of the highest moral endorsements the Nigerian state can bestow.

Nigeria must decide what its honours truly represent: service or success, integrity or influence, memory or convenience.

National honours are not rewards for economic activity alone. If they were, Nigeria’s richest citizens would simply rotate them among themselves. Honours exist to recognise service that uplifts the nation without undermining its ethical foundations.

When a GCON is conferred on an individual whose past includes a conviction for laundering funds tied to Nigeria’s stolen wealth, a dangerous signal is sent: that economic power, proximity to influence, and subsequent philanthropy can neutralise earlier involvement in acts that harmed the nation.

This is not justice. It is selective remembrance.

Nigeria is still recovering Abacha loot. Entire generations were denied opportunities because resources meant for schools, hospitals, roads, and security were diverted into private vaults abroad. Families suffered. Institutions weakened. Trust in governance collapsed. To honour figures connected to that architecture of loss — without public explanation or moral reckoning — is to reopen wounds without acknowledging them.

Equally troubling is the opacity surrounding the award. No detailed justification has been offered. No explanation of the criteria applied. No acknowledgment of past convictions or settlements. Nigerians are simply expected to accept the decision as an unquestionable exercise of presidential discretion.

But honours derive legitimacy not from power, but from public trust.

A state that seeks to fight corruption must be consistent not only in prosecution but in symbolism. It cannot condemn looting while celebrating those entangled in its global pipelines. It cannot preach accountability while rewarding proximity to unaccountable wealth.

This debate is not about denying anyone redemption. It is about insisting that redemption, if it exists, must be transparent, earned, and morally intelligible. Charity is commendable, but charity funded by wealth whose origins include public loss carries an unresolved ethical burden. Investment may stimulate growth, but growth built on unresolved history remains morally fragile.

If the Presidency believes that Gilbert Chagoury’s later contributions outweigh his earlier entanglements, then Nigerians deserve a clear, honest explanation. Silence deepens suspicion. Transparency builds legitimacy.

National honours should unite the nation around shared values. When they provoke division, it is a signal that the honour system itself is drifting away from its moral anchor.

Nigeria must decide what its honours truly represent: service or success, integrity or influence, memory or convenience.

History is watching. More importantly, Nigerians are watching.

*Ogundipe a public analyst, former president of Nigeria and Africa Union of Journalists writes from Abuja.

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The Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Mr. Bayo Onanuga, made this known in a press statement on Wednesday.

In his 64th Independence Anniversary Speech on 1 October, President Tinubu conferred the Commander of the Federal Republic, CFR, on the Speaker and the Deputy Senate President.

This development led to a debate in the House of Representatives on Wednesday, calling on the president to confer a higher honour on the Speaker.

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According to the media aide, President Tinubu was persuaded by the House of Representatives position and has decided to remedy the historical error and oversight.

Onanuga said the president therefore decided to upgrade the Speaker to GCON from CFR, in accordance with the National Order of Precedence.

The Speaker, the Senate President, other principal officers of the National Assembly and the Chief Justice of Nigeria will be formally decorated with their new honours later.

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The declaration was made on Wednesday sequel to the adoption of a motion sponsored by the deputy spokesperson for the House of Representatives, Philip Agbese (APC-Benue) in conjunction with 235 members at plenary.

President Bola Tinubu in a live broadcast on Independence Day, conferred the honour of Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger, GCON, on the President of the Senate.

The President also conferred the Commander of the Federal Republic, CFR, on the Speaker of the House of Representatives and Deputy President of the Senate.

Moving the motion, Agbese said that the National Assembly of the Federal Republic of Nigeria is constitutionally established as a bicameral legislature comprising two equal chambers which are the Senate and the House of Representatives, as stipulated in Section 4 of the 1999 Constitution.

He said that the Constitution recognises both chambers operating within a framework that ensures the legislative independence and equality of both chambers.

Agbese said that that Section 47 of the Constitution further explains that each chamber plays distinct but complementary roles in the legislative process.

The lawmaker said that the House was concerned about the ongoing and “inappropriate culture of discrimination against the House of Representatives, which often portrayed it as inferior to the Senate.”

According to him, the language consistently referred to the Senate as the upper chamber and the House of Representatives as a lower chamber.

He also said that the Senate President was often referred to as the Chairman of the National Assembly while the Speaker is referred to as Deputy Chairman inaccurately implies a hierarchical structure contrary to the Constitution, and undermines the authority of the Speaker.

“This discriminatory practice was once again evidenced during the recent conferment of National Honours on the leadership of the National Assembly by Mr. President.

“While expressing our gratitude to Mr President for recognising and honouring the leadership of the National Assembly, we note that the conferment of the title GCON on the President of the Senate and the CFR on the Speaker of the House of Representatives and Deputy President of the Senate perpetuates the inappropriate subordination of the Speaker to the President of the Senate.

“The Chief Justice of Nigeria, who is lower in protocol ranking than the Speaker of the House of Representatives, was also awarded the title of GCON, further exemplifying this culture of discrimination against the leadership of the House.

“The House of Representatives reaffirms its commitment to the constitutional principle of equality between the two chambers of the National Assembly and calls for the elimination of all practices, titles, and references that suggest otherwise.

“The Speaker of the House is a co-leader of the legislative arm of government, and this must be recognised and respected in all respects,” he said.

The lawmaker said that the National Honours Act of 1964 does not explicitly prescribe the conferment of specific honours, such as the Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger, GCON, for the President of the Senate or the Commander of the Order of the Federal Republic (CFR) for the Speaker.

According to him, these distinctions are rooted in customary practice rather than statutory requirement.

“Further note that the honour of GCON is not restricted to any particular office or individual but can be awarded to any distinguished Nigerian deemed deserving by the President.

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“This is evidenced by the recent conferment of GCON on Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala by former President Muhammadu Buhari; this House acknowledges the flexibility inherent in the National Honours system and the prerogative of the President in the allocation of such distinctions,” he said.

The House resolved that the Speaker be recognised as co-chairman of the National Assembly in all respects, and request that all references to the leadership of the National Assembly reflect the equality.

The House called on all government institutions, officials, and the media to take cognisance of language and titles that suggest a hierarchical structure between the Senate and the House of Representatives or their respective leaders.

The House resolved that the Clerk of the National Assembly be directed to ensure that all communications, orders, and publications from the National Assembly henceforth refer to both the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President of the Senate as co-heads of the National Assembly.

The House resolved to set up an Ad hoc Committee to liaise with the Presidency and propose amendments to the National Honours Act of 1964 to appropriately recognise the Speaker of the House of Representatives as co-head of the National Assembly.

The House also requested the conferment of the national honour of GCON upon the Speaker, to ensure parity in recognition with the President of the Senate and should be accomplished before the formal decoration by Mr. President.

The House urged the president to uphold the spirit of bicameral equality as enshrined in the Constitution when making decisions and recommendations that concern the leadership of the National Assembly.

Source: NAN

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This is as he conferred on the Vice President-elect, Kashim Shettima, the Grand Commander of Order of the Niger, GCON.

The conferment of the titles was a part of the ongoing transition programme to usher in the new administration of Tinubu who was elected president of the country on February 25, 2023.

The ceremony which also witnessed the handing over of baton by President Muhammadu Buhari to Tinubu, took place at the State House in Abuja.

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