The Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Senate Matters, Senator Basheer Lado, has made further clarifications on the 2024 National Honours conferred on Presiding Officers of both the Senate and the House of Representatives by President Tinubu, saying the classes of the Honours were not meant to belittle anyone.
Recall that President Tinubu had in his national broadcast to mark Nigeria’s 64th Independence Anniversary on Tuesday, conferred national honours of Grand Commander of the Order of Niger (GCON) on the President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio; Commander of the Federal Republic (CFR) on the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Tajudeen Abbas and Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Barau Jibrin, while the Deputy Speaker, Rt. Hon. Benjamin Kalu was honoured with the Commander of the Order of Niger (CON).
But, a day after, at separate plenary sessions, while the Senate President Akpabio and Deputy President of the Senate Barau were congratulated by fellow Senators, a motion was moved in the House of Representatives on the seeming inappropriateness of the class of honour conferred on the Speaker of the House.
However, shedding more lights on the national honours in a statement in Abuja on Friday, the presidential aide Senator Lado said the honours were conferred on the presiding officers based on laid down precedents and procedures and not by any other criterion.
The statement read: “I would like to clarify that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, exercising his authority under the National Honours Act, conferred the esteemed title of Commander of the Federal Republic (CFR) to the Speaker, Rt. Hon. Tajudeen Abbas PhD, based on established precedents and it was not meant to undermine the Speaker or the House of Representatives.
“I, however, commend the House of Representatives for its clarification regarding the National Honour conferred on the Speaker by the President during Nigeria’s 64th Independence Day celebrations.
“I wish to reiterate President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s commitment to a harmonious working relationship with the National Assembly, given that cooperation between both arms of government is essential to achieving Nigeria’s development objectives.
“It is noteworthy that the House did not reject the honour conferred on the Speaker but rather sought clarification on the National Order of Precedence.
“The motion presented before the House was framed as an institutional issue, not a personal request by Speaker Tajudeen Abbas.
“The House of Representatives had also clearly stated that it appreciated the honour bestowed on the Speaker by the President and did not reject the title of Commander of the Federal Republic, CFR.
“This Office has acknowledged all the concerns raised by the House and would brief the President accordingly.”
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