At last President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has succumbed to pressure by conferring the nation’s second highest national honour, the Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger, GCON, on the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas.
In his 64th Independence Anniversary Speech on October 1, President Tinubu conferred the Commander of the Federal Republic, CFR, on the Speaker and the Deputy Senate President.
This development led to a debate in the House of Representatives on Wednesday, calling on the President to confer a higher honour on the Speaker.
President Tinubu, persuaded by the House of Representatives position, has decided to remedy the historical error and oversight by upgrading the Speaker from CFR to GCON according to the National Order of Precedence.
The Speaker, Senate President, other principal officers of the National Assembly and the Chief Justice of Nigeria will be formally decorated with their new honours later.
