National Honour: Tinubu Bows To Pressure, Corrects Error, Confers GCON On Speaker Abbas

Following pressure mounted by the House of Representatives, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has corrected himself on error committed on October 1st, 64th Independence anniversary speech.

He 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.

OPTIMUM TIMES reports that in his 64th Independence Anniversary Speech on 1 October, President Tinubu had conferred the Commander of the Federal Republic ( CFR) on the speaker and the deputy senate president which later was perceived as belittling and generated controversy at the House of Representatives plenary session.

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, according to a statement by Bayo Onanuga, the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy.

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, he assured.