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Gilbert Chagoury

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Gilbert R. Chagoury
Born (1946-01-08) 8 January 1946 (age 78)
Lagos, British Nigeria
EducationCollege des Frères Chretiens
Occupation(s)Businessman
Diplomat
Philanthropist
SpouseRose-Marie Chamchoum
Children4
RelativesRonald Chagoury (brother)

Gilbert Ramez Chagoury (born 1946) is a Nigerian billionaire businessman,[1] diplomat and philanthropist.

Early life

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Gilbert Chagoury is a Lebanese Nigerian who was born to Lebanese immigrant parents in Lagos, Nigeria.[2] He studied at the Collège des Frères Chrétiens in Lebanon before returning to Nigeria.

Business

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In 1971, he co-founded the Chagoury Group with his younger brother Ronald Chagoury,[3][4] an industrial conglomerate with interests in construction, real estate and property development, flour mills, water bottling and purification, glass manufacturing, insurance, hotels, furniture manufacturing, telecommunications, IT, catering and international financing.[5][failed verification] Gilbert and Ronald Chagoury founded C & C Construction in the late 1970s, which was the forerunner of Hitech and ITB (these now form the Construction Division of the Chagoury group of Companies).[6]

In 2024, Nigerian president Bola Tinubu awarded the $11 billion Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway project to Chagoury's Hitech, a deal that came under scrutiny due to the lack of public bidding as well as the longtime association between Tinubu and Chagoury.[7] It has since been reported that Tinubu's son, Seyi Tinubu, sits on the board of one of Chagoury's companies,[8] while also being a joint shareholder in a British Virgin Islands with Gilbert's son, Ronald Chagoury Jr.[9]

Through their ownership of the Chagoury Group, Gilbert Chagoury and his family have an estimated wealth of $4.2 billion.[1]

Diplomacy and politics

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He served as an Ambassador and Adviser to governments in Africa and the Americas. He has also served as Ambassador to the Vatican for St. Lucia, economic adviser to President Mathieu Kérékou of Benin, and ambassador to UNESCO.[10]

Chagoury was a close associate of Nigerian dictator, General Sani Abacha, who helped his business interests in the country. After Abacha died in 1998, Chagoury returned an estimated $300 million to the Nigerian government to secure his indemnity from possible criminal charges.[2]

Chagoury is a major donor to the Clinton Foundation.[2][11]

In 2010, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security apologized to Chagoury after detaining him at Teterboro Airport for over four hours because of inclusion on a no-fly list.[12]

In 2018, the Lebanese-Nigerian billionaire and two of his associates agreed to resolve a federal investigation that they conspired to violate federal election laws by scheming to make illegal campaign contributions to U.S. presidential and congressional candidates, including Nebraska representative Jeff Fortenberry.[13] Fortenberry was eventually convicted of lying to federal officials about these contributions and announced his resignation effective 31 March 2022.[14]

Philanthropy

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List of donors at the Beverly Hills 9/11 Memorial Garden in Beverly Hills, California

He is a key benefactor for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee, and his private contributions have improved health care and public infrastructure of Miziara, Northern Lebanon, home to both his and his wife's family.[15] He serves on the board of the Lebanese American University where he provided a donation of $10 million to fund the Gilbert and Rose-Marie Chagoury School of Medicine and $3.5 million for the construction of the Alice Ramez Chagoury School of Nursing.[16]

The Louvre's Gilbert et Rose Marie Chagoury Gallery is named for them, housing a permanent exhibit including French works donated by the Chagourys.[17] He has donated in excess of $340,000 for the renovations of the Church of Our Lady of Lebanon in Paris, France.[18] He has also donated US$10,000 to the Beverly Hills 9/11 Memorial Garden in Beverly Hills, California.[19]

Personal life

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He has been married since 1969 to Rose Marie Chamchoum. They have four children.[citation needed]

References

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  1. ^ a b "The Richest People In Africa 2013". Ventures Africa. 9 October 2013. Archived from the original on 17 April 2015. Retrieved 15 January 2015.
  2. ^ a b c Ermshwiller, John R. (20 December 2008). "Bill Clinton's Complicated World: Donor to Former President's Foundation Had Business Ties to Nigerian Dictator". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 14 January 2015.
  3. ^ Africa South of the Sahara. Taylor & Francis, The University of Michigan. 2007. p. 103. ISBN 9781857434217. Retrieved 23 April 2015.
  4. ^ "How the private sector is slowly but surely rebuilding Nigeria". Martz publishing. Retrieved 23 April 2015.
  5. ^ "Log In ‹ Chagoury-Group — WordPress". chagourygroup.com.
  6. ^ "Chagoury Construction intro". Archived from the original on 29 December 2021. Retrieved 14 January 2015.
  7. ^ Akinkuotu, Eniola (8 April 2024). "Nigeria: Tinubu's deal with Chagoury criticised by Atiku". The Africa Report. Retrieved 12 November 2024.
  8. ^ Angbulu, Stephen (6 May 2024). "Coastal highway: Seyi Tinubu has right to pursue business interests, Presidency tells Atiku". The Punch. Retrieved 12 November 2024.
  9. ^ Omeje, Chikezie (20 August 2024). "Sons of Nigerian President and His Tycoon Friend Owned a Company Together". Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project. OCCRP. Retrieved 12 November 2024.
  10. ^ "To the Ambassador of Saint Lucia to the Holy See (December 1, 2005) | BENEDICT XVI". www.vatican.va.
  11. ^ "Newly released Clinton emails shed light on relationship between State Dept. And Clinton Foundation | CNN Politics". CNN. 10 August 2016.
  12. ^ "US Apologizes to Billionaire Added to Terror No-fly List". ABC News. Retrieved 25 March 2022.
  13. ^ "Lebanese-Nigerian Billionaire and Two Associates Resolve Federal Probe into Alleged Violations of Campaign Finance Laws". 31 March 2021.
  14. ^ Solender, Andrew. "Rep. Jeff Fortenberry resigns after conviction". Axios. Retrieved 29 March 2022.
  15. ^ www.stjude.org https://web.archive.org/web/20190709070058/https://www.stjude.org/error/404.html. Archived from the original on 9 July 2019. Retrieved 15 August 2023. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  16. ^ "Alice Ramez Chagoury School of Nursing". Archived from the original on 29 June 2010. Retrieved 27 September 2010.
  17. ^ "The Louvre" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 15 June 2011. Retrieved 27 September 2010.
  18. ^ "Notre-Dame-du-Liban à Paris". 16 October 2022.
  19. ^ "Beverly Hills 9/11 Memorial Garden". Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 11 September 2013.
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