Tinubu Awards Speaker Abbas GCON

By Adesina Soyooye

• For the records, Dr Bukola Saraki, a former Senate President, unlike his Senate President colleagues, was not conferred with the National Honour of GCON. His is still CFR, an honour he was given before he became the Senate President

President Bola Tinubu has broken from a long standing tradition, and conferred on the Speaker of the House, Tajudeen Abbas, the National Honour of the Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger, GCON.

The President, on October 1, 2024, announced the conferment on Abbas of the National Honour of the Commander of the Federal Republic, CFR, following tradition. He, also conferred on the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio and the Chief Justice of the Federation, CJN, the Honourable Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, the National Honour of GCON, following tradition.

But Members of the House, in a unanimous decision, protested the CFR conferred on the Speaker. They insisted that both the Senate and the House of Representatives are equal; that the House is not inferior to the Senate; and that the Speaker should be awarded the National Honour of GCON. They also pointed out that in the order of National Precedence, the Speaker comes before the CJN.

In the evening of Friday, October 5, Presidential Spokesperson, Bayo Onanuga, issued a statement to the effect that the Speaker would now be conferred with GCON. The President has elevated him from CFR to GCON.

Onanuga: “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.

“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.”

For the records, Dr Bukola Saraki, a former Senate President, because of politics, was not conferred with the National Honour of GCON. His is still CFR, awarded to him before he became the Senate President.

Former President Muhammadu Buhari, deliberately, refused to upgrade Saraki, for going against Party (APC) arrangement to emerge as Senate President in 2015, instead of the Party’s preferred choice, Senator (Dr.) Ahmad Lawan.

In 2019, Lawan emerged Senate President while Saraki was defeated at the polls in his Kwara Senatorial Zone. Not a few people are wondering when Saraki would be upgraded  to the “rightful rank of  GCON” – following tradition.