There was some drama in the House of Representatives on Wednesday as lawmakers in the green chamber rejected the Commander of the Order of the Federal Republic (CFR) honour President Bola Tinubu conferred on Speaker Tajudeen Abbas.
This rejection, the lawmakers say, is valid because Tinubu bestowed the Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger (GCON) honour on Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, the Chief Justice of Nigeria.
As Philip Agbese put it, the Speaker is the fourth highest-ranked government official, while the Chief Justice is the fifth. Agbese is the Deputy Spokesman of the House of Representatives.
WAS THE PRESIDENT WRONG?
When the president announced the national awards on Tuesday, it may have appeared to the public that he made the decisions on his own, but this is not true.
Nigeria has a Standing Committee on National Honours Award. It is an 11-member committee that Retired Justice Sidi Muhammad chairs. This committee decides who is qualified for what national honours and relays that to the president.
In August 2021, President Muhamadu Buhari approved the reconstitution of this committee and declared that it operates for four years from August 5, 2021. That term expires on August 5, 2025.
