President Bola Tinubu has awarded the nation’s second-highest national honour, the Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger (GCON), to Tajudeen Abbas, the Speaker of the House of Representatives.
Bayo Onanuga, Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, stated that the President also conferred the Commander of the Federal Republic (CFR) honour on the Speaker and the Deputy Senate President during his 64th Independence Anniversary Speech.
Mr Onanuga noted that this recognition sparked a debate within the House of Representatives on Wednesday, where members urged the President to elevate the Speaker’s honour.
He further stated that President Tinubu was influenced by the House’s position and decided to rectify what was perceived as a historical oversight.
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“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”, said Mr Onanuga in the statement.
