By Abba – Eku Onyeka, Abuja
In line with the agitations and demands, by about 200 members of Nigeria’s House of Representatives, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has upgraded the Commander of the Federal Republic (CFR), a national honour he conferred on Speaker Tajudeeen Abbas, to the Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger (GCON), being the nation’s second highest national honour in Nigeria.
According to a statement from Special Adviser to the President (Information and Strategy), Bayo Onanuga Friday, in his 64th Independence Anniversary Speech on 1 October, President Tinubu conferred the 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 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 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.
