Tinubu Awards Bill Gates Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger

 President Tinubu conferred the Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger (GCON), Nigeria’s second-highest national honour, on Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates during a ceremony at the Aso Rock Villa in Abuja.

The award recognized Gates’ contributions to Nigeria’s health and education sectors through the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which has invested $2 billion since 2000, impacting 30 million Nigerians. Gates’ initiatives include eradicating wild poliovirus in 2016, reducing malaria deaths by 20% in 2024, and training 10,000 health workers. Tinubu praised Gates for bridging inequality, noting his foundation’s $100 million annual commitment to Nigeria’s primary healthcare.

The event, attended by Vice President Kashim Shettima and Health Minister Salma Anas, highlighted Nigeria’s 40% vaccine coverage increase since 2018, partly due to Gates’ support. Gates, in his remarks, pledged $500 million for Nigeria’s 2026-2030 health strategy, targeting 80% immunization. Critics, however, questioned the timing, with 60% of Nigerians in a poll linking the honor to Tinubu’s 2027 campaign, citing Gates’ global influence.

Others praised the gesture, noting Nigeria’s 1,000 annual polio cases in 2000 versus zero since 2016. The GCON, previously awarded to Queen Elizabeth II, underscores Gates’ impact, but debates persist over prioritizing foreign philanthropists amid local economic woes, with 34% inflation affecting 100 million Nigerians. The ceremony reinforced Nigeria’s international partnerships, as Gates met with 10 governors to discuss sustainable development.