Revealed: How Buhari's Aides Allegedly Paid $3million to Arrange 'Fake Luther Award' | CNR

Details have emerged about how a team of President Mohammadu Buhari's aides led by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Foreign Affairs and Diaspora, Abike Dabiri allegedly paid the sum of $3million to secure the 'fake' Martin Luther King Jr. award for the President.

Speaking during an interview with the Punch Newspaper, Nigerian-born Professor of Journalism and Emerging Media at the Kennesaw State University in the United States, U.S., Farooq Kperogi advised President Buhari to save his face by rejecting the award and punishing his aides who arranged the controversial award without his consent.

Controversy has trailed the award given to President Mohammadu Buhari by family members of the late African-American civil rights activist, Martin Luther king Jr.

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The King Centre, official memorial foundation of the late civil rights activist had dissociated itself from the controversial award, saying it was not aware of such award.

Commenting on the controversial award, Mr. Kperogi said the award was not given by the King Centre but by the sister-in-law and nephew of the late activist, both of whom have no authority to present award on behalf on the King family.

Farooq Kperogi

"Well, it wasn't the King Centre that conferred the so called "First Black History Month National Black Excellence and Exceptional African Leadership Award" to Buhai. The sister-in-law and nephew of the late Martin Luther king Jr. did. But they are not members of Martin Luther king Jr family in the American understanding of the notion of family. They are relatives or extended family membters of the late King who have no power to give award to anyone on behalf of the Martin Luther king family, which is formally represented by the King Centre. The King Centre's verified twitter account, in fact, disclaimed ant association with the award on a March 28 tweet, which I shared on my Facebook wall".

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While describing the award as a scam and fraud, the Kperogi disclosed that although yet to be confirmed, an online has revealed that a team of Buhari's aides led his Special Assistant on Foreign Affairs and Diaspora, Abike Dabiri spendt a whopping $3million to arrange to award without the President's knowledge.

"Of course it is obvious that didn't personally solicit Martin Luther King's relatives for award. The word is that it was (allegedly) facilitated by Abike Dabiri-Erewa through a Ghanaian contact which has links to King's relatives. I haven't personally confirm that but it's highly unlikely that President Buhari was personally involved in this.

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"An online news outlet alleged that $3million was paid to secure the award for the President. But I haven't independently verified this. What is not in doubt, though, is that these sorts of shady awards are never free. They are always sneaky pecuniary schemes that prey on the status anxiety, inferiority complex, and xenophobic propensities of our leaders who need awards to conceal their incompetence and sense of low self-worth", the American University Professor said.