President Bola Tinubu has awarded the Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger (GCON) title to Tajudeen Abbas, the Speaker of the House of Representatives.
In his 64th Independence Anniversary broadcast, Tinubu awarded the Commander of the Federal Republic (CFR) title to both the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, and the Deputy Senate President, Barau Jibrin.
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However, this decision faced backlash from the House of Representatives, which called for a higher honor for Abbas, similar to the Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger (GCON) that Tinubu bestowed upon Senate President Godswill Akpabio and Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun.
The lawmakers emphasized that both chambers of the National Assembly, the Senate and the House of Representatives, are equal, and insisted that the House should not be regarded as a lower chamber.
However, just days after his initial announcement, Tinubu awarded the Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger (GCON) honor to the Speaker of the House of Representatives.
“President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has conferred the nation’s second highest national honour, the Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger, on the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas,” the Special Adviser to the President (Information and Strategy) Bayo Onanuga said in a statement on Friday evening.
He said 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.”
Abbas; the Senate President Godswill Akpabio, other principal officers of the National Assembly, and the Chief Justice of Nigeria will be formally decorated with their new honours later, Onanuga said.
In response to the House of Representatives’ demand, the Presidency stated that the Green Chamber maintains a collaborative working relationship with the Senate, contrary to claims made by various sources.
“I wish to reiterate President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s commitment to a harmonious working relationship with the National Assembly, given that cooperation between both arms of government is essential to achieving Nigeria’s development objectives,” the Special Adviser to the President on Senate Matters Basheer Lado said earlier on Friday.
“It is noteworthy that the House did not reject the honour conferred on the Speaker but rather sought clarification on the National Order of Precedence.”
