Following mounting discontent and pressure from the House of Representatives, President Bola Tinubu has awarded the nation’s second highest national honour, the Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger, GCON, to Speaker Tajudeen Abbas.
This move comes after days of tension, with lawmakers calling for greater recognition of Abbas’ contributions to national leadership, which according to them is not inferior to that of the Senate.
Credible News recalls that in his 64th Independence Anniversary Speech on 1 October, President Tinubu conferred the National Honours Awards of Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger GCON, on the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio and the Chief Justice of the Federation, Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun.
President Tinubu also announced the conferment of the honour of Commander of the Order of the Federal Republic on the Deputy Senate President, Suleiman Barau and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas.
READ ALSO: Reps demand GCON honour for speaker, reject CFR
He also made known that Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu, has been awarded the honour of the Commander of the Order of Niger.
However, the House of Representatives rejected the honor, describing it as inferior Commander of the Federal Republic award conferred on the Speaker.
However, the Green Chamber reaffirmed its commitment to the constitutional principle of equality between the two chambers of the National Assembly and called for the elimination of all practices, titles, and references that suggest otherwise.
It maintained that the Speaker of the House is a co-leader of the legislative arm of government, and this must be recognised and respected in all respects.
Succumbing to pressure in a Friday statement, the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, explained that “President Tinubu was persuaded by the House of Representatives position and has decided to remedy the historical error and oversight.
“Thus, he has decided to upgrade the Speaker to GCON from CFR, in accordance with the National Order of Precedence.”
The statement further said that the speaker, the Senate President, other principal officers of the National Assembly and the Chief Justice of Nigeria will be formally decorated with their new honours later.
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