President Muhammadu Buhari has broken the ice. He has broken a record. For the first time in the history of the award of National Honours in Nigeria, two women are being honoured with the second highest honour in the land.
The pace-setting and record-breaking Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, currently the Director General of the World Trade Centre, will, on 11th October 2022, be honoured with the award of the Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger, GCON. To be honoured with the same award is Amina Mohammed, the Deputy Secretary General of the United Nations. Both high profile women were Federal Ministers under the administration of President Goodluck Jonathan.
GCON is an honour usually reserved for the Vice President, the Senate President, and the Chief Justice of Nigeria. But Jonathan, during his Government, honoured two Nigerian extraordinary businessmen and serial entrepreneurs, Aliko Dangote and Mike Adenuga with it. Before them, the late Premier of the defunct Western Region, Chief Obafemi Awolowo was also honoured with the award. And a couple of years ago, Buhari honoured the late presumed winner of the June 12, 1993 Presidential election, Chief MKO Abiola, posthumously, with the GCON award.
Okonjo-Iweala’s award is for her impact in the development of the country and also putting the most populous black nation on the World map. She is the first woman, and the first black to occupy the office of the DG of the WTO.
Others to be honoured with GCON are the Senate President, Dr Ahmad Lawan and the Chief Justice of Nigeria, the Honourable Justice Olukayode Ariwoola, and his predecessor, Honourable Justice Tanko Mohammed.
Inexplicably, the immediate past Senate President, Dr Bukola Saraki, was skipped, an action not a few people attributed to politics, and described as petty.
Femi Adesina, the Special Adviser, Media and Publicity to the President, will be honoured with the award of Officer Of the Order of the Niger, OON, while legendary musicians, Tu Face Idibia and Burna Boy will be honoured with the Member of the Order of the Niger, MON.
The list has five persons listed for the award of the Grand Commander of the Order of Niger, 54 listed for Commander of the Order of the Federal Republic while 67 are for the Commander of the Order of the Niger.
Others include 64 for Officer of the Order of the Federal Republic, 101 for Officer of the Order of the Niger, 75 for Member of the Order of the Federal Republic, 56 for Member of the Order of the Niger, and eight for Federal Republic Medal.
Serving and former governors, serving and former presiding officers of the National Assembly, former members of the National Assembly are also included in the list, with serving and former Service Chiefs, Traditional Rulers, retired Public ser3vants, Lawyers, Philanthropists, Businessmen, Ministers and members of the academia.
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