Former presidential aspirant and public policy advocate, Funso Doherty, has called on Nigeria’s House of Representatives to investigate the reported conferment of the Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger (GCON) on businessman Gilbert Chagoury.
This was contained in an open letter dated January 24, 2026, addressed to the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas.
Doherty questioned both the substance and the procedure surrounding the national honour, which was reportedly awarded by President Bola Tinubu on January 8, 2026, allegedly to mark Chagoury’s birthday.
According to Doherty, the manner in which the award became public knowledge was itself unusual.
Rather than being announced through an official presidential or government channel, the conferment only surfaced more than a week later, following a congratulatory message issued by a private individual on January 19.
“This mode of disclosure is troubling,” Doherty said, especially given what he described as the widely reported close personal relationship between the award recipient and the President.
“As of today, there is no evidence that any such warrant was issued or gazetted in respect of this conferment,” Doherty said, adding that no official explanation has been provided for the apparent departure from established statutory procedure.
Doherty also highlighted inconsistencies in an Instrument of Conferment currently circulating in the public domain.
The document states that the award was given in Abuja on January 8, 2026, under the President’s hand and the Public Seal of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu conferred the Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger (GCON) on Gilbert Chagoury.
The honour was reportedly awarded in Abuja on January 8, 2026.
Public awareness of the conferment gained momentum after Nigerian billionaire Femi Otedola issued a congratulatory message describing Chagoury as a mentor and role model, citing his decades-long influence on Lagos’ urban development and Nigeria’s broader economic growth.
The GCON sits just below the Grand Commander of the Order of the Federal Republic (GCFR) and has historically been awarded to distinguished Nigerians and foreign leaders whose contributions are considered nationally significant.
GCON is Nigeria’s second-highest national honour, typically awarded to senior public officials, jurists, and foreign leaders with notable contributions to Nigeria or global diplomacy.
Buhari described Mohammed’s tenure as one marked by contributions to the judiciary, democratic governance, and national development.