President Bola Tinubu has elevated the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, to the Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger (GCON), the nation’s second-highest national honour.
This decision follows a protest from members of the lower chamber of the National Assembly.
During his 64th Independence Anniversary address on October 1, Tinubu had initially awarded the Speaker, alongside the Deputy Senate President, with the Commander of the Federal Republic (CFR) honour. However, this sparked a debate in the House of Representatives on Wednesday, where lawmakers urged the President to bestow a higher honour on Speaker Abbas.
On Friday, Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, released a statement confirming the President’s decision to correct what was referred to as a “historical error and oversight.”
“Thus, he has decided to upgrade the Speaker to GCON from CFR, in accordance with the National Order of Precedence,” Onanuga stated.
He also mentioned that the Speaker, Senate President, other principal officers of the National Assembly, and the Chief Justice of Nigeria would be officially decorated with their new honours at a later date.