A stalwart of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has condemned President Bola Tinubu’s decision to honour Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, with Nigeria’s second-highest national honour of the Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger (GCON).
Recall that the President conferred Modi the second-highest honour in the land during the Nigeria/India Bilateral meeting held at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
Tinubu said the award was bestowed on the Indian Prime Minister as a show of appreciation for their partnership and bilateral relationship.
Reacting to the development while speaking with Punch on Sunday, the Deputy National Youth Leader of the PDP, Timothy Osadolor, said the President’s action was unnecessary.
He wondered why Tinubu chose to gift the second-highest national honour in the land on the basis of mere friendship.
The member of the PDP National Working Committee emphasised that though the President has the right and prerogative to confer a national honour on anybody, there must be criteria to show why they deserve it.
He said, “It is not something you dish out for the sake of friendship and all of that. I don’t know what the Indian Prime Minister has done to have warranted such an honour. But this is the second highest honour in the land. It is a misplacement of priorities.
“I would have thought that the President should have asked the Indian Prime Minister how the Indian economy has been able to move away from being the poverty capital of the world to being one of the fastest growing economies in the world now. The biggest tech moguls across the globe at the moment are all Indians.
“Just look at Microsoft, the Silicon Valley in America and startups. They are all being run and set up by Indians. I would have thought that Tinubu, in a bid to shore up the lacuna his cabinet lacks, would have been humble enough to ask the Prime Minister to offer him a clue as to how to help his government and Nigerians. Not dishing out unnecessary awards that the man doesn’t need other than for pictures and commentary.”
Continuing, the PDP chieftain took a further swipe at the current administration, saying it wouldn’t stop playing to the gallery with some of its alleged theatrics.
Osadolor also wondered if the President took the liberty of asking the visiting PM and his delegation the right questions on investments and how Nigeria can borrow a leaf from the Indians to move the country out of the woods.
He said, “Tinubu is not serious. He should leave out frivolities for bigger issues. Now that the Indian Prime Minister has taken it upon himself to visit Africa, yes, we have a significant and sizeable Indian community in Nigeria. But to what end can we maximize and leverage these businesses?
“Are we asking the right questions, seeking the right investments and pushing for the right policies? But the distraction from this administration is becoming one too many. I think President Tinubu should wake up from these media gimmicks and focus on the real issues.
“Nigerians are hungry and dying. The technologies the Indians are currently deploying globally will help a great deal to solve most of these basic challenges.”
