Bill Gates, American tech billionaire, has been conferred with one of Nigeria’s highest national honours, the Commander of the Order of the Federal Republic (CFR), by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
The award was presented on Tuesday night in Lagos, according to a statement made by presidential aide, Bayo Onanuga.
“President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in Lagos on Tuesday night conferred the National Honour of Commander of the Order of the Federal Republic (CFR) on billionaire Bill Gates, co-founder of Microsoft and founder of Bill Gates Foundation,” Onanuga posted on X. Nigerian cultural tours.
Though the presidency has not officially detailed the rationale behind the honour, the recognition may be linked to Gates’ long-standing health and humanitarian investments in Nigeria through the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
The foundation has reportedly spent billions of naira in Nigeria, funding immunisation programs, health initiatives, and agricultural development, particularly in northern Nigeria.
Gates has also made repeated visits to Nigeria and engaged with government officials and health partners to tackle diseases such as polio and malaria.
Meanwhile, it was reported a few weeks ago how Bill Gates accused Elon Musk of “killing the world’s poorest children” by backing deep cuts to the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), once a major source of funding for global health and food aid programmes.
“The picture of the world’s richest man killing the world’s poorest children is not a pretty one,” Gates told the Financial Times, in a stinging rebuke directed at Musk.
Musk recently led the Department of Government Efficiency under President Donald Trump’s administration.
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