Speaker Abbas Thanks President Tinubu For The Honour
By Benard Akoma 05/10/24
It was a sweet victory for House of Representatives as President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has conferred the nation’s second highest national honour, the Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger, on the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas.
Recall in his 64th Independence Anniversary Speech, October 1, Tinubu had conferred the Commander of the Federal Republic( CFR) on the speaker.
This recognition was not actually received with jubilation by members of the House of Representatives.
Instead the development led to a heated debate on the floor of the House, October 25, 2024 as members questioned the criteria determining the award of the Honours to Nigerians.
Presidential announcement of the honour which had listed the Speaker after the Deputy President of the Senate, and both Presiding Officers conferred with the same honour of Commander of the Federal Republic (CFR) was viewed by members as a misnomer.
As a result, the House argued that the Speaker stands as the nation’s number four citizen, following the Vice President and President of the Senate in order of precedence and should be treated same.
According to them, the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) who was given honour higher than that of the Speaker even ranked fifth, they argued.
A motion, sponsored by Rep. Philip Agbese and co-signed by over 200 members, October 2, 2024, insinuated that the under rating of the Speaker was as a result of longstanding misrepresentation of the House as the "lower chamber" and called for recognition of its equal legal status with the Senate in Nigeria’s bicameral legislature.
The members therefore protested calling for the Speaker to be considered for the Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger (GCON) to reflect his office’s status and position in the National Order of Precedence.
Evidence of the equality of both chambers, Members reiterated, is that “both chambers must concur on all Acts of Parliament,” affirming that “neither chamber is superior or inferior to the other”
Apparently in response to the outcry, a report by the Niche Newspaper, October, 4, 2024, revealed that “Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, said Tinubu was persuaded by the House of Representatives position and has decided to remedy the “historical error and oversight”.
“Thus, he has decided to upgrade the Speaker to GCON from CFR, in accordance with the National Order of Precedence.
The report noted that 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.”
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