Members of the House of Representatives from various political parties on Wednesday called for the national honour of Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger (GCON) to be conferred upon Speaker Tajudeen Abbas.
The House criticized the decision to confer the Commander of the Federal Republic (CFR) on the Speaker and the GCON on the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, by President Bola Tinubu, describing it as demeaning.
Recall that President Tinubu announced the conferment of various honours on the nation’s leaders during his Independence Day speech on Tuesday.
During Wednesday’s plenary session, Deputy Spokesman of the House, Philip Agbese, moved a motion of urgent public importance, deeming the treatment of the House of Representatives as inferior to the Senate as unacceptable. This comment was in apparent reference to the GCON awarded to Senate President Godswill Akpabio.
Agbese pointed out that, according to protocol, the Speaker is ranked fourth, questioning why the Chief Justice, ranked fifth, received a higher honour.
The lawmakers, who took turns voicing their opinions, clarified that their statements were not made on behalf of Abbas as an individual but rather for the Office of the Speaker.
