President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has finally yielded to pressure and conferred the nation’s second highest national honour, the Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger (GCON), on Speaker Tajudeen Abbas.
During his 64th Independence Anniversary Speech on October 1, President Tinubu also bestowed the Commander of the Federal Republic (CFR) on the Speaker and the Deputy Senate President.
This decision sparked a debate in the House of Representatives, with members urging the President to award an even higher honour to 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.
