In a surprising turn of events, the House of Representatives has rejected President Bola Tinubu’s proposed conferment of the Commander of the Order of the Federal Republic (CFR) on Tajudeen Abbas, Speaker of the House.
NigeriaMedia recalls that in his Independence Day broadcast, President Tinubu had announced that Akpabio and Kekere-Ekun would receive the prestigious GCON, while Abbas and Barau Jibrin, Deputy Senate President, would be awarded the CFR.
Tinubu also revealed that Ben Kalu, Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, would be conferred with the Commander of the Order of the Niger (CON).
However, Tinubu did not specify the date for these conferments, leaving room for further discussions and possible changes in the honors list, The Punch reported.
During a session, lawmakers expressed dissatisfaction with the perceived disparity in national honors being awarded to top government officials.
During Wednesday’s plenary session, members of the House voiced their concerns over what they described as an “unacceptable” move by Tinubu.
The discontent centered on the decision to confer the Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger (GCON) on Senate President Godswill Akpabio and Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, while reserving a lower rank of CFR for Speaker Abbas, The Cable reported.
Philip Agbese, a lawmaker from Benue who sponsored the motion of urgent public importance, said:...Read Full Article [Click Here>]
“We cannot accept a situation where the Speaker of the House is placed below the Senate President and the Chief Justice in terms of national recognition.
“This move does not reflect the significant role the House plays in shaping national policies.”
The House subsequently passed a resolution rejecting the CFR for Abbas and demanded that the speaker receive the same level of honor as his counterparts in the Senate and judiciary.
The resolution also called for a review of the national awards criteria to ensure fairness across all arms of government.
One lawmaker, who spoke anonymously, said:
“The Speaker deserves nothing less than the GCON, just like the Senate President.
“The roles of both chambers are equal in importance, and this should be reflected in the honors given.”
