By Olufemi Adegbulugbe
History, they say, repeats itself.
This statement is supported by the Geologic Principle of Uniformitarianism which states that “The present is the key to the Past”. Loosely interpreted, it means whatever happens today has occurred in the past.
I accidentally came across an excellent piece of investigative journalism in TheNews publication dated 10 November 1997 and titled “*The Chagourys- How a family hijacked Nigeria”.*
It was quiet an interesting read and it detailed the heinous financial crimes and criminal business relationship between The Chagourys and General Abatcha.
The article was a big revelation which almost cost the then young journalist, Senator Babafemi Ojudu his life.
Journalist Babafemi Ojudu could not however escape arrest and was kept in solitary confinement for 8 months.
The revelation by Babafemi Ojudu as published in the 10 Nov 1997 TheNews article was further collaborated by the Premium News publication of July 13, 2022, titled “*The men, women who helped Abatcha plunder Nigeria.”*
The name Gilbert Chagoury was No. 2 on the list.
Extract from Premium News
“Mr Gilbert Chagoury is a Nigerian-born businessman of Lebanese descent. He is the founder of the Chagoury Group, whose multi-billion-dollar assets span construction, manufacturing, real estate, and hotels. He has accrued an infamous track record for decades. Mr Chagoury was convicted in 2000 of money laundering and aiding a criminal organisation. In the 1990s, he set up accounts with SG Ruegg Bank in Geneva for the Abacha family enabling them to benefit from illegal transfers of over $120 million from the Central Bank of Nigeria and secured immunity from prosecution, court documents showed.
He later paid $600,000 in fines to the court in Geneva, Switzerland, and refunded $66 million to the Nigerian government.
Nuhu Ribadu, current NSA was reported to have said “You couldn’t investigate corruption in Nigeria without looking at Chagoury,” and Ribadu actually made an attempt to arrest him in July 2004.
TheNews publication of 10 Nov 1997 and the revelation of the Chagoury-Abatcha connection occurred during the active days of NADECO in the struggle to return the country to civilian rule.
Now that we have civilian rule in place, it seems that not much has changed for the Chagourys.
What appears to have changed is that Chagoury may have simply replaced General Sani Abatcha with Bola Ahmed Tinubu, in his continued hijack of a country. This is quite evident in the abuse and flagrant disregard for procurement act in the award of LOS-CAL Coastal Highway.
The unconfirmed news of President Tinubu official visit to South Africa in Chagoury’s private jet as well as the news that Nigeria recently ordered 2 presidential jets through Mr Chagoury is worrisome to us.
It appears that corruption cannot differentiate or discriminate between Military and Civilian regimes.
Welcome to “*From Chagoury-Abacha TO Chagoury-Tinubu.*”
For how long shall Mr Gilbert Chagoury continue to hold a nation by the scrotum?
