Reactions as Elumelu receives “racist” Leopold award

2 Min Read
Elumelu at the award gala

The Officer of the Order of Leopold, Belgium’s oldest and most prestigious award bestowed on billionaire businessman, Tony Elumelu is tearing Twitter apart.

Elumelu, 57, took to the social media platform Monday morning to announce the award, saying it was conferred Sunday night.

He expressed gratitude to the Belgian King, Philippe and the Embassy of Belgium in Nigeria for the honour.

Revealing why the award was conferred, the Founder of Tony Elumelu Foundation wrote, “I am humbled by this recognition of the work @TonyElumeluFDN in catalysing entrepreneurs across Africa and will continue to drive the economic empowerment of our brilliant young #Africanentrepreneurs to propel development in Africa.”

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Reacting to the announcement, many Nigerians tagged it “racist”, while drawing attention to the alleged atrocities committed by the Kingdom of Belgium in Africa.

The Order of Leopold, one of the three current Belgian national honorary orders of knighthood, was created on July 11, 1832, in honour of King Leopold 1, who lived from December 16, 1790, to December 10, 1865.

After his demise, his son, Leopold II took over as King and ruled from 1865 to 1909.

Leopold II declared the Congo Free State, modern-day Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), his private property.

According to Wikipedia, Leopold’s administration of the Congo was characterised by atrocities, including torture and murder, resulting from notorious systematic brutality. In 1890, George Washington Williams coined the term “crimes against humanity” to describe the practices of Leopold II of Belgium’s administration of the Congo Free State.

Many Nigerians who took to Twitter berated Elumelu for associating with an award with a family history linked to economic suppression and brutality in Africa, counter ideals to the ones being propagated by the Tony Elumelu Foundation.

Read reactions monitored on Twitter:

 

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