THISDAYonline

President Olusegun Obasanjo has been urged to commence investigation into the authenticity and legality of the National Award of Member, Order of the Niger (MON) which was allegedly conferred on Governor Orji Uzor Kalu of Abia State.

In a petition by the Committee for the Preservation of Our Award Character and Integrity to President Obasanjo, the group said during the build-up to the last general elections, allegations of criminal adoption of the revered national award, by the said Orji "Kalu", amongst other allegations, were so rife that it formed part of every petition filed against him.

The petition titled "Who Awarded Orji Uzor Kalu the "MON" He Parades? and signed by the president and secretary of organisation, Mr. Ekekwe John Egu and Prince Clinton Uba, respectively stressed that sweeping the issue under the carpet, or rather hiding it under the table, as Kalu himself would say, amounted to postponing the evil day as it has not helped matter at all.

The group regretted that the allegation kept on rebouncing like a tennis ball, especially at this time of the campaign for national re-birth.

The group said it was "miffed by this brazen display and celebration of shamelessness, by the governor's continuous use of this unmerited and unwarranted honour."

It noted that upon investigation from the Ministry of Special Duties in the Presidency, it was revealed that President Shehu Shagari between 1980 and 1982 gave a total of 156 people of MON title even as no one came in 1983.

It stressed that Generals Muhammadu Buhari, Ibrahim Babangida and Chief Ernest Shonekan, gave no MON awards from 1985-93, when they were Heads of State.

The petition added that General Abdulsalami Abubakar gave some awards which were cancelled by President Obasanjo's administration, despite giving such awards in the last three years to deserving Nigerians, of which Orji "Kalu's" name was conspicuously missing.

It also said that Kalu had appropriated the title to himself before the 1999 governorship election, a situation which made the group wonder who could have awarded Orji "Kalu" the MON, he parades.