President Bola Tinubu has conferred Nigeria’s third highest national honour, Commander of the Order of the Federal Republic (CFR), on American Bill Gates.
Mr Tinubu conferred the honour on the billionaire philanthropist during a ceremony held at his private residence in Lagos on Tuesday.
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According to a statement signed by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, Mr Tinubu said the recognition is in acknowledgement of Mr Gates’ decades-long interventions in maternal health, agriculture and infectious disease research in the country.
He noted that Mr Gates inspires leaders worldwide by consistently lifting the poor and underprivileged.
President Tinubu thanked the billionaire philanthropist for providing global leadership that prioritises ameliorating the lives and safety of the poor and underprivileged.
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“Today, I would like to share my happiness and respect and acknowledge one of the greatest human beings in the world,” he said.
“All I need to say is thank you Bill Gates, for your indivisible commitment to humanity. It is highly remarkable. It is an inspiration to leaders across the world, including the one standing before you.
“I thank you very much. It is a great thing to honour you as the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”
The CFR is Nigeria’s third-highest honour, behind the GCFR (Grand Commander of the Order of the Federal Republic) and GCON (Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger). The GCFR is usually reserved for Nigerian presidents while the GCON is often reserved for vice presidents (with few exceptions). The CFR is conferred on individuals who have made significant contributions to the nation’s development.
The Gates impact
Mr Gates, through the Gates Foundation, has spent millions of dollars in Nigeria, majorly in the areas of health, agriculture, and poverty reduction.
His foundation’s commitment to the country is now totalling over $2.8 billion, the highest in Africa.
The Gates foundation has been a key partner in Nigeria’s polio eradication efforts, immunisation campaigns, malaria control, and maternal and child health programmes.
For instance, in the last quarter of 2024, the foundation donated $5.6 million to Nigeria for flood relief, health and agricultural reforms. In 2022, it committed $7 billion to supporting Nigeria and some other African countries. In 2020, the Gates Foundation donated $1 million to the country to help fight the COVID-19 pandemic. It also awarded a $2 million grant to the Nigerian Governors Forum.
Mr Gates once attributed his support for Nigeria to the huge humanitarian needs of thousands of vulnerable people in the country.
National recognition
The national recognition comes just a day after Mr Gates reiterated his commitment to the African continent.
PREMIUM TIMES reported that Mr Gates recently pledged that the majority of the $200 billion his foundation will disburse over the next two decades will be allocated to improving health and development in Africa.
He said this on Monday at the Nelson Mandela Hall of the African Union headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
“I recently made a commitment that my wealth will be given away over the next 20 years. The majority of that funding will be spent on helping you address challenges here in Africa,” he told the audience, including African leaders, health professionals, youth representatives, and development partners.
Mr Gates praised African governments that prioritise the health and well-being of their citizens and called for more investment in primary healthcare.
He said investing in primary healthcare has the greatest impact on health and wellbeing.
Well deserved
Speaking at the ceremony, the Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Muhammad Pate, said Mr Gates’s recognition was well deserved, considering his long-term involvement in Nigeria’s national development.
Mr Pate, a professor, noted that the Gates Foundation has invested more than $2 billion of its capital in various arenas that directly affect Nigerians, whether in health care, agriculture, or the digital economy.
“Importantly, when he came into Northern Nigeria, there were challenges with immunisation, people refusing because of ignorance, and with Mr Gates and Alhaji Aliko Dangote, they mobilised the entire traditional ruler’s committee.”
Mr Pate said the strong support of the Gates Foundation eradicated polio in Nigeria.
In his remark, Mr Gates expressed appreciation for the national honour, describing it as a recognition not only of himself, but of the work done by the Foundation’s teams and partners across Nigeria.
He said from the beginning, the Foundation’s goal was to support improving Nigeria’s health sector.
“Nigeria had some ambitious goals for improving health, and three people here today are great champions of that cause. Of course, the President is making health a priority. Pate, we’ve worked together to handle great challenges, including the incredible progress on polio,” he said.
“Then, Dangote, I got to know, and we have done great work together. So, in the 25 years in Nigeria, we have achieved a lot. As was mentioned, the child death rate has gone down, and that’s because new vaccines were received to boost our efforts.”
He said the effort to eradicate polio was one of the Foundation’s toughest, noting that a lot was learnt, and partnerships were built with traditional institutions.
Mr Gates also reiterated his dedication to cutting malnutrition and spreading vaccines that could end malaria in Nigeria.
READ ALSO: Bill Gates pledges majority of $200 billion foundation fund to Africa’s future
“Some of our goals will seem ambitious; for example, in the next 20 years, we hope to eradicate malaria,” he added.
Aliko Dangote, the president and chairman of Dangote Group; the Minister of Special Duties and Intergovernmental Affairs, Zephaniah Jisalo; executives of the Gates Foundation and Ayuba Burki Gufwan, executive secretary of the National Commission for Persons with Disabilities, attended the ceremony.
Asides his visit to the president, Mr Gates is expected to participate in a “Goalkeepers Nigeria” event on Wednesday.
The event, which is focused on scaling innovation, will feature discussions on Nigeria’s primary healthcare reform agenda and its evolving national AI strategy.
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