President Bola Tinubu has upgraded the national honor for the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Abbas Tajudeen, to the Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger (GCON) following protests from members of the House.
Initially, in his Independence Day address, Tinubu had conferred the GCON title on Senate President Godswill Akpabio and Chief Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, while Speaker Tajudeen received the Commander of the Order of the Federal Republic (CFR), which is a step below the GCON in rank.
Lawmakers from the House of Representatives, through a motion signed by all 360 members, argued that this was unfair, emphasizing that the Senate President and the Speaker should be treated as equals.
In response, Tinubu, currently on vacation in the UK, reversed his decision. His media aide, Bayo Onanuga, stated that the president was persuaded by the lawmakers’ position and decided to upgrade Tajudeen’s honor to GCON to align with the National Order of Precedence.
The formal decoration of Tajudeen, along with other principal officers of the National Assembly and the Chief Justice, will take place at a later date.
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