The investigative reporter stated that Amb. Ousmane Yara was deceiving Nigerians when he claimed that Nigeria’s president-elect, Mr Bola Tinubu was simply appointed honorary citizenship by former Guinean President Conde as a “Special Envoy” and that it did not confer on Tinubu citizenship status.
News.band has reported that the Embassy of the Republic of Guinea in Abuja, Nigeria, stated that the Guinean passport reportedly belonging to Nigeria’s president-elect, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, is actually a diplomatic passport.
In a published article yesterday, Amb. Ousmane Yara clarified that former President Conde gave him a “Special Envoy” status.
“Conde recognised Tinubu as a pan-Africanist and saw him as a special envoy,” Yara said.
The AU Ambassador said that governments extend honorary citizenship to important people who may not be their citizens as a mark of recognition of their contributions to socio-economic and political developments in the countries, which does not make such persons citizens of the countries.
According to Wikipedia, a honorary citizenship is a “status bestowed by a city or other government on a foreign or native individual whom it considers to be especially admirable or otherwise worthy of the distinction. The honour usually is symbolic and does not confer any change to citizenship or nationality.”
But David Hundeyin in a Tweet stated; “For the benefit of anyone with an IQ above room temperature who doesn’t already know this, honorary citizenship DOES NOT confer the recipient with a passport, travel document, entry clearance or immigration document of any kind. It is strictly symbolic.”
“A national passport of any kind, be it a regular, diplomatic, or service passport, is issued ONLY to citizens of a country, which is why a passport is the only document that is UNIVERSALLY recognised as proof of citizenship.”
HONORARY CITIZENSHIP (CT:CITZ-22; 06-05-2019)
a. At different times in our history, the President, by means of an Act of Congress, has declared a non-U.S. citizen person of exceptional merit to be an honorary citizen of the United States.
b. Honorary citizenship does not carry with it the rights and privileges of ordinary citizenship, and such status does not confer any special entry, travel or immigration benefits upon the honoree or the honoree’s relatives and dependents. It also does not impose additional duties or responsibilities, in the United States or internationally, on the honoree. It is a strictly symbolic act. No oath is required.
c. Honorary U.S. citizenship has been granted only to the following people:
(1) Winston Churchill, by the act of April 9, 1963 (Public Law 88-6; 77 Statutes at Large 5);
(2) Raoul Wallenberg, by a joint resolution of Congress on October 5, 1981 (Public Law 97-54, 95 Statutes at Large 971); the resolution honoring Wallenberg stated that “honorary citizenship is and should remain an extraordinary honor not lightly conferred nor frequently granted”;
(3) William and Hannah Callowhill Penn on October 19, 1984 by a joint resolution of Congress, (Public Law 98-516; 98 Statutes at Large 2423; Proclamation 5284);
(4) Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu (Mother Teresa) by a joint resolution of Congress on October 1, 1996, (Public Law 104-218; 110 Statutes at Large 3021; House Report 104-796);
(5) Marquis de Lafayette, Marie Joseph Paul Yves Roche Gilbert du Motier by a joint resolution of Congress on August 6, 2002, (Public Law 107-209, 116 Statutes at Large 931);
(6) Casimir Pulaski by a joint resolution of Congress on November 6, 2009, (Public Law 111-94, 123 Statutes at Large 2399); and
(7) Bernardo de Galvez y Madrid, Viscount of Galveston and Count of Galvez by a joint resolution of Congress on December 16, 2014, (Public Law 113-229, 128 Statutes at Large 2117).
806.1-2 HONORARY CITIZENSHIP AND PASSPORTS
(CT:CITZ-22; 06-05-2019)
a. Honorary U.S. citizens are not eligible for U.S. regular or special issuance passport books or passport cards.
b. When Winston Churchill was awarded honorary U.S. citizenship in 1963, President Kennedy presented an “Honorary Citizen’s Document,” to Winston Churchill’s son on his behalf. The “Honorary Citizen’s Document” President Kennedy presented resembles a U.S. diplomatic passport and included the words “Sir Winston Churchill” on the front cover. This is the only time such an “Honorary Citizen’s Document” has been configured. The “Honorary Citizen’s Document” conveyed respect, but was not a valid travel document, and did not confer any special entry, travel or immigration benefits.
UNCLASSIFIED (U)
Yara also spoke on Tinubu’s special recognition by the Guinean government under Conde.
Commenting on a viral video showing President-elect, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu and Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, in a helicopter belonging to the Guinean government, Yara, a Guinean, who is Ambassador African Union (AU) Agenda 2063, told Daily Sun that the viral video was shot sometime in 2016 when Tinubu visited Guinea as guest of then President Conde during the country’s independence anniversary celebration.
He said that Tinubu, him (Yara) and Sanwo-Olu, who was not governor then, were travelling in the helicopter from Guinean capital to Mamu, in the Fula region of the country, to attend independence anniversary celebration, as, according to him, then President Conde used to move the state function related to the anniversary from region to region every year, when he was in power.
Yara revealed that Tinubu first visited Guinea in 2015 after he hosted former President Conde in Lagos earlier. According to him, the president-elect’s attendance of Guinea’s independence anniversary celebration in 2016 was his second as guest of former President Conde.
He said: “Through one of Tinubu’s aides at that time, who is now a minister in the government of Nigeria, I facilitated a meeting between President Conde and Tinubu. President Conde was going for reelection, for the second term, in office then in 2015. He came to Nigeria to see Tinubu, who organised a dinner in his honour. At the dinner, Tinubu invited many Nigerian businessmen and others.
“President Conde then invited Tinubu to Guinea about one month to the election for his second term. Tinubu honoured the invitation and came with a team of economic experts and businessmen, who took time to discuss with Guinean government officials how the country could better harness its resources for economic prosperity and development.
“Tinubu spent only one day and travelled to London from there, but left the team he came with to continue engagement with Guinean officials on how to transform Guinea. The team and Guinean government officials worked for three days, and came up with an economic roadmap.”
Amb Yara said that thrilled by Tinubu’s support for his reelection and for bringing the team that worked with Guinea officials to chart an economic and development agenda, President Conde invited Tinubu to the independence anniversary in 2016.
“President Conde invited Tinubu to the independence anniversary. Since the official function at every independence anniversary was done in different regions, Tinubu was required to fly from the country’s capital, in a helicopter, to Mamu, where that year’s event held. That was the video being circulated. At the independence anniversary celebration, President Conde gave Tinubu the honour and privilege of a president, in appreciation of what he did for him during his reelection bid and towards economic development of Guinea.”
Yara said it was in order to show appreciation to Tinubu that former President Conde gave him a “Special Envoy” status.
“Conde recognised Tinubu as a pan-Africanist and saw him as a special envoy,” Yara said.
News.Band notes that a copy of the Guinean Passport bearing Tinubu’s photo and name clearly indicated, Nationality; Guinean!
But the AU Ambassador said that governments extend honorary citizenship to important people who may not be their citizens as a mark of recognition of their contributions to socio-economic and political developments in the countries, which does not make such persons citizens of the countries.
Yara said Tinubu, being a friend of Conde, is not strange as individuals and politicians all over the world have presidents as friends.
He revealed that many Nigerian politicians and businessmen were friends of Conde when he was in power, including former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and President Muhammadu Buhari, who hosted the former president in Abuja.
Amb. Yara, in a bid to authenticate what he said, put a video call through to former President Conde, who has been living in Turkey since he was ousted from office in 2021.
Conde, answering a question on his relationship with Tinubu, said: “Tinubu is the biggest pan-Africanist I have seen. Before I met Tinubu, I had noted his accomplishments, right from when he was governor. I see him as a ‘Lion of Africa’ because of his contributions towards the stability and development of Africa. He has always supported African presidents who were pan-Africanists in disposition and others.”
Conde confirmed that he recognised Tinubu as ambassador extraordinaire (special envoy) of Guinea, while promising to speak in details about the president-elect in due course.
