By Victoria OJEME
Embattled former Chairman of the Nigerian Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Bello Lafiaji who was convicted in June for conspiracy and abuse of office by a Lagos Court has joined former Inspector General of Police, Mr Tafa Balogun in the list of those to stripped of their National Honours.

Lafiaji who was sentenced to four years in imprisonment was invested with the Officer of the Order of the Federal Republic (OFR) among over 100 recipients of the national honours award in 2004.

Also, a rights group, the Human Rights Writers Association has thrown its weight behind the move to strip former Inspector General of Police, Mr Tafa Balogun of the National Honours award, over his conviction for criminal breach of trust in 2005.

The embattled NDLEA was tried and convicted for fours years over his involvement on a seven-count charge, bordering on conspiracy to commit fraud and abuse of office. Sources at the Secretariat of the National Honours Award Committee confided at the weekend that the predicament of the former NDLEA boss was brought to its notice shortly after Saturday Vanguard broke the news of on-going efforts to strip Balogun of his national honours award.

The source who spoke on condition of anonymity, said “ The Committee’s attention was drawn to the predicament of the recipient and in line with the disposition of the administration and indeed the resolve of the Committee to be seen as impartial, he has to be considered alongside other recipient, whose conduct has brought disrepute to the award.”

The Act among others stipulates the stripping of holder of the award in the event of criminal conviction or any other act capable of bringing the privilege and prestige of the award into disrepute.

In the case of Balogun and Lafiaji, only a Presidential pardon could halt the on-going process to revoke the award. If the duo are stripped of the award, it would be the first time in the history of the award the relevant sections of the Act against the privilege and prestige of the award would be invoked.

Meanwhile, HURIWA National President, Mr Emmanuel Onwubiko in his reaction to Saturday Vanguard’s revelation of on-going efforts to strip the former police boss of his national honours insisted that the action would restore the credibility of the national honours. He however took a swipe at the nomination process that led to the selection of what he described as ‘undeserving Nigerians’ in this year’s National Honours list.

According to him, “The Committee should take away the national honour that was given to the former inspector general of police Tafa Balogun who was also convicted of fraud.

“We are surprised that the government is just waking up, why did the government not taken that kind of action for long, why did they have to wait until now, to take that national  honour, because the issue of National Honour should not be trivialized,” he added. The rights activists also accused government of trivializing the nomination process, saying, “Government over the years have trivialized processes and the models for awarding National Honour.

“National Honours should be given to distinguished Nigerians who have made their marks in their field of human endeavours. Those whose contribution has   impacted positively on the living conditions of Nigerians and on the progress of Nigeria as a country both on the economic perspective, political perspective, scientific perspective and from a whole broad range of perspectives” he added.