The 1st Black History Month National Black Excellence and Exceptional African Leadership Award 2018 conferred on Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari by a supposed Martin Luther King Jnr family, cost 3million Dollars.
Already, the conferment of the award is generating furore just as the Martin Luther King Centre has revealed it never gave the Nigerian President an award.
According to sources in the Presidency, the award was facilitated by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Foreign Relations & Diaspora, Abike Dabiri-Erewa through a Ghanaian self acclaimed foreign diplomat, Erieka Bennett.
A quick fact-check on Erieka Bennet revealed that she runs a Non Governmental Organization called, Diaspora African Forum based in Accra, Ghana. Erieka Bennett calls herself ‘Ambassador At Large’ as she uses her influence to facilitate foreign awards for unsuspecting African leaders.Erieka Bennett was a former aide to Ghanaian president, John Mahama.
Erieka Bennet
LeadersNG investigations revelaed that Dr. Erieka Bennett was contracted by Abike Dabiri-Erewa to help use her NGO to bring Martin Luther King Jnr family to Nigeria to give President Muhammadu Buhari the award.
Dr. Erieka Bennett, was said to have contacted someone in King’s family, a distant relative of Martin Luther King called Dr. Naomi Barbara after King Center declined earlier request by Bennett to influence an award for a certain African leader.
The award which was paid for by the Nigerian government as part of the ongoing PR stunt to launder president Buhari’s image was not on official portals that was opened strictly to promote the 50th anniversary of Martin Luther king’s assassination.
Sources said Buhari only got to know about the award on the day of conferment as he had no pre-knowledge of what Dabiri-Erewa was up to.
A pro-democracy group, Concerned Nigerians had earlier condemned the award given to President Muhammadu Buhari.
The group in its statement berated the King’s family for awarding Nigerian president a leadership award as it negates the ideals and principles of what America’s foremost civil rights activist stood and died for.
The $3m according to our source, was provided by APC Board of Trustees member, Alhaji Nasir Dano.
The Martin Luther King Centre had through their official Twitter account denied awarding President Muhammadu Buhari.
The centre tweets, “The award given to President Buhari of Nigeria was not given by The King Center, at the request of The King Center or by the children of #MLK and #CorettaScottKing.
SOURCE: LeadersNG
