In reaction to the earlier protest by the House of Representatives, President Bola Tinubu has conferred the nation’s second highest national honour, the Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger (GCON) on the Speaker, Tajudeen Abbas.
In his 64th Independence Anniversary Speech on October 1, Tinubu had conferred the Commander of the Federal Republic (CFR) on the speaker and the deputy senate president, a development that led to a debate in the House of Representatives on Wednesday, leading to a call on the President to confer a higher honour on the speaker.
Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, in a statement on Friday, said the president was persuaded by the lawmakers’ position and has decided to remedy the ‘historical error and oversight.’
Onanuga said, “Thus, he has decided to upgrade the Speaker to GCON from CFR, in accordance with the National Order of Precedence.
“The speaker, the Senate President, other principal officers of the National Assembly and the Chief Justice of Nigeria will be formally decorated with their new honours later.”
