President Goodluck Jonathan - Why we offered GCON to Dangote

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ABUJA — President Goodluck Jonathan, Monday, justified Federal Government’s decision to confer business mogul, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, with the second highest national honour award of the Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger, GCON, saying that the recipient deserved the feat because of his contributions to Nigeria’s greatness.

Dangote, the President of the Dangote Group, and member of the National Economic Management Team, NEMT, becomes the first Nigerian who is not a top politician or political appointee to bag the prestigious honour.

The President gave the explanation after decorating 355 distinguished Nigerians with various national honours, in the 2010/2011 sets, thereby bringing the total number of recipients so far to 3,924 since it began in 1963.

Reacting to a noticeable state of confusion that some young Nigerians find themselves in the criteria used by the government, Jonathan said there was no need for such confusion.

He said: “Today (yesterday) I am having the GCFR the highest in the land by virtue of the fact that I am the President of this country, but if I am not the president another person must be the President of Nigeria, but if Aliko did not have that business acumen to build that empire probably we wouldn’t have had somebody to employ thousands of Nigerians.

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