This Is Among The Saddest Days Of My Life – Timi Frank Carpets Tinubu Over GCON Award To Chagoury

The former Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Timi Frank, has condemned the conferment of the Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger (GCON) on businessman Gilbert Chagoury.

In a statement made available to Abia Radio News on Tuesday, he questioned the rationale for conferring Chagoury with Nigeria’s second-highest national award, given allegations and judicial findings linking him to money-laundering cases arising from funds looted during the late General Sani Abacha junta.

He warned President Bola Tinubu that the move sends a dangerous signal that corruption and conflicts of interest are being normalised at the highest levels of power.

He lamented that the decision undermines public trust and the country’s anti-corruption posture.

“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.

“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.

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 honour?” 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 honoured,” he stated.