President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has conferred the nation’s second highest national honour, the Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger (GCON), on the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas.
This followed a protest by members of the lower chamber of the National Assembly.
In his 64th Independence Anniversary Speech on October 1, Tinubu had conferred the Commander of the Federal Republic( CFR) on the Speaker and the Deputy President of the Senate.
The award was not taken lightly by the Representatives which led to a debate in the at plenary on Wednesday.
Claiming that the award was lower to the other state officials who were lower in protocol ranking than the Speaker, the lawmakers called on the President to confer a higher honour on the Speaker.
Reacting swiftly to the challenge, in a statement on Friday, Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, said 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 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.”
