The 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, has called for a fundamental change in Nigeria’s national honours system.
He argued that top awards should be reserved for entrepreneurs and productive citizens, not politicians.
The 64-year-old spoke in Abuja yesterday at the public presentation of a biography for business magnate Gabriel Igbinedion, titled “The Chronicles of a Legend.”
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Obi suggested that the current method of conferring national awards, such as the Grand Commander of the Federal Republic (GCFR) and Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger (GCON), is flawed.
“The Grand Commander of the Federal Republic, GCFR, and Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger, GCON, should be for entrepreneurs and productive people, not politicians. We have to change the way we honour people”, the former governor of Anambra State said.
Obi praised Igbinedion, the Esama of Benin Kingdom, for his significant contributions to sectors like aviation and education, including the founding of Nigeria’s first privately-owned university.
He said that individuals who create jobs and add real value to the nation are more deserving of public recognition and national honours.
“We live in a country where we celebrate people who are not supposed to be celebrated,” Obi said.
“If we did, the celebration we are giving him today would have been more.”
He also highlighted Igbinedion’s role in employment, noting that the entrepreneur had employed over 17,000 Nigerians.
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Obi contrasted this with a system that he believes showers accolades on those who have contributed little or no value to the country.
His remarks come as part of a broader call for a new Nigeria that prioritises productivity, enterprise, and education.
