There was some drama in the House of Representatives on Wednesday as lawmakers in the green chamber rejected the Commander of the Order of the Federal Republic (CFR) honour President Bola Tinubu conferred on Speaker Tajudeen Abbas.
This rejection, the lawmakers say, is valid because Tinubu bestowed the Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger (GCON) honour on Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, the Chief Justice of Nigeria.
As Philip Agbese put it, the Speaker is the fourth highest-ranked government official, while the Chief Justice is the fifth. Agbese is the Deputy Spokesman of the House of Representatives.
WAS THE PRESIDENT WRONG?
When the president announced the national awards on Tuesday, it may have appeared to the public that he made the decisions on his own, but this is not true.
Nigeria has a Standing Committee on National Honours Award. It is an 11-member committee that Retired Justice Sidi Muhammad chairs. This committee decides who is qualified for what national honours and relays that to the president.
In August 2021, President Muhamadu Buhari approved the reconstitution of this committee and declared that it operates for four years from August 5, 2021. That term expires on August 5, 2025.
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Awarding national honours is a tradition that began on October 1, 1963. It is backed by the Honours Warrant of 1964 and the National Honours Act CAP N43 of the Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004.
The honours on offer are:
1. Grand Commander of the Federal Republic (GCFR)
2. Grand Commander of the Niger (GCON)
3. Commander of the Order of the Federal Republic (CFR)
4. Commander of the Order of the Niger (CON)
5. Officer of the Order of the Federal Republic (OFR)
6. Officer of the Order of the Niger (OON)
7. Member of the Order of the Federal Republic (MFR)
8. Member of the Order of the Niger (MON)
9. Federal Republic Medal I (FRM I)
10. Federal Republic Medal II (FRM II)
WHO GETS WHAT?
The GCFR honour is reserved for presidents and past presidents, but a few people have received this honour without ever leading Nigeria. The government conferred the honour on Obafemi Awolowo during the Second Republic and Moshood Abiola in 2018. Awolowo and Abiola were figures who played leading roles in Nigeria’s political development while alive.
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Vice presidents, chief justices, senate presidents, and other highly placed individuals often receive the GCON honour. However, the government has also conferred it on Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala and Godwin Emefiele, two Nigerians who did not hold elected offices, but played significant roles in Nigeria’s finance sector.
As is custom, past chief justices Walter Onnoghen and Olukayode Ariwoola also bagged the GCON honour.
During their tenures, Speakers Yakubu Dogara and Femi Gbajabiamila received the CFR honour Abbas got on Tuesday.
Awarding each honour is at the president’s discretion with the help of the committee, but in Kekere-Ekun and Abbas’ cases, their awards are in line with the Nigerian government’s historical practices.
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