A loud disquiet has greeted the Federal Government’s selection of a 437-person list for National Honours as part of activities to mark Nigeria’s 62nd Independence Anniversary.
The awards will be presented by President Muhammadu Buhari on October 11, at an event scheduled to hold at the State House, Abuja.
According to the list, five persons — Senate President Ibrahim Lawan, Olukayode Ariwoola, Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN); Tanko Muhammad, former CJN; Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Director-General of the World Trade Organisation (WTO); and Amina J. Mohammed, Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations — are nominated for Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger (GCON).
In the selections for the awards, Quest Times has observed certain discrepancies and sloppiness.
Shoddy nomination
One of the prospective awardees, Mr Bayo Ogunlesi, who is the Chairman of Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP), was erroneously described as the owner of Gatwick Airport, London.
Checks by Quest Times shows that Gatwick, which is the United Kingdom’s third largest airport, is indeed owned by Global Infrastructure Partners which, according to its website, is a concern which invests in infrastructural facilities in the energy, transportation, water and waste sectors.
The Gatwick Airport was previously fully owned by the British Airports Authority (BAA) until 2009 when it was acquired by a GIP-led consortium.
In May 2019, the airport management announced that an industry leader and private operator, VINCI Airports, acquired majority shares in Gatwick, with GIP having about 49 per cent in its stake.
According to the statement on London Gatwick Airport’s website, “London Gatwick today announced a new chapter in its ownership as VINCI Airports completed the purchase of a 50.01% stake in the airport. Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP) will continue to manage the remaining 49.99% interest in Gatwick. The new partnership promises continued investment to put passengers at the heart of Gatwick’s future plans.”
Under the arrangement, the London Gatwick Airport is jointly owned by VINCI and GIP.
Double nomination, sloppy identifications
Going through the list of prospective awardees, we noticed that the FG has nominated Dr. Kayode Fayemi, the Governor of Ekiti for the Commander of the Order of the Niger (CON) category.
Quest Times recalls that the Governor had bagged the CON award under former President Goodluck Jonathan in 2014, during his first term as Governor of the southwestern State.
Although Fayemi reportedly did not attend the award ceremony held in 2014, he adds the ‘CON’ title in his official statements, hinting that he received the award.
His re-nomination for the same award category eight years later, does not appear to be an oversight.
Also, Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu was selected for CON category and his status read “Minister” even though he resigned from his position as Minister for Science and Technology on May 11, 2022, before the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential primaries.
Femi Adesina, Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, was selected for the Officer of the Order of the Niger (OON) category and “Lagos” was listed as his State of origin. While Adesina may have lived in Lagos for some time as he pursued his journalistic career, evidence suggests he hails from Osun State.
Rewarding the dead, ignoring the living
Various checks at the list show that the late Abba Kyari, former Chief of Staff to the President; and the late Ibrahim Attahiru, former Chief of Army Staff, were listed for the award of the Commander of the Order of the Federal Republic (CFR).
With so many on the list, there were genuine persons who could have made the list of the awardees.