Tinubu Confers Second Highest National Honour, GCON, on Renowned Industrialist, Gilbert Chagoury

• Honour was extended to awardee to mark his 80th birthday, says Onanuga

Deji Elumoye in Abuja

President Bola Tinubu has conferred the second highest national honour, the Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger (GCON) on renowned businessman and industrialist, Gilbert Chagoury.

Tinubu, in a letter, said Chagoury was given Nigeria’s second highest honour because of his contributions to Nigeria.

The President in the letter dated January 8, 2026 stated, inter alia: “In exercise of the powers vested in me under section 1(4) of the National Honours Act, 1, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, in recognition of your outstanding virtues and in appreciation of your services to our country, Nigeria, hereby award to you to have, and enjoy title, dignity and all the privileges of Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger (GCON) Given at Abuja under my Hand and the Public Seal of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”

Confirming the story of the award to THISDAY on Monday evening, presidential spokesperson, Bayo Onanuga, said the GCON award was a sign of appreciation to Chagoury for his immense economic contributions towards the nation’s development.

According to him, the award was given to Chagoury to commemorate his recent 80th birthday.

Onanuga stressed that although there was not any formal ceremony either in Lagos or Abuja to confer the award on the recipient but the award was sent across to him.

His words: “It’s true the GCON award was conferred on Chief  Chagoury to appreciate his efforts towards the economic growth of Nigeria spanning over several decades.

“There was no formal ceremony but the awarded got the award to mark his 80th birthday which came up not quite long ago.

Don’t forget the fact that Chief Chagoury was born in Lagos in 1946 and so he’s a qualified Nigerian for the award”.

Chagoury is a Lebanese Nigerian who was born to Lebanese immigrant parents in Lagos.

In 1971, he co-founded the Chagoury Group with his younger brother Ronald Chagoury, an industrial conglomerate with interests in construction, real estate and property development, flour mills, water bottling and purification, glass manufacturing, insurance, hotels, furniture manufacturing, telecommunications, IT, catering and international financing.

There was a controversy in 2024 when Tinubu awarded the $11 billion Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway project to Chagoury’s Hitech, a deal that came under scrutiny due to the lack of public bidding as well as the longtime association between Tinubu and Chagoury.