Tinubu makes U-turn, confers GCON on Reps Speaker Abbas

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 of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas.

The Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, announced this in a statement on Friday, October 4, 2024.

Tinubu had, in a nationwide broadcast on Nigeria’s 64th Independence Anniversary on October 1, conferred the GCON honour on Senate President Godswill Akpabio.

Tinubu also conferred the Commander of the Federal Republic (CFR) on the Speaker and the Deputy Senate President.

The development led to a debate in the House of Representatives on Wednesday, with the lawmakers calling on the president to confer a higher honour on the Speaker.

The lawmakers declared equal standing with the Senate, saying the green chamber is not subordinate to the upper chamber of the National Assembly.

‘We’re not Senate’s subordinate’: Reps seek GCON Honour for Speaker

They added that the House was concerned about the ongoing and inappropriate culture of discrimination against the House of Representatives, which they said often portrayed as subordinate to the Senate.

However, Onanuga noted that President Tinubu was persuaded by the House of Representatives’ position and decided to “remedy the historical error and oversight”.

The presidential spokesman added: “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.”

The Star