President Bola Tinubu has finally reverted himself and conferred the national honour of the Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger (GCON) on the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas.
NaijaOnPoint.com.ng (NOP) reports President Tinubu’s conferment of Commander of the Federal Republic (CFR) on the Speaker of the House of Representatives had stirred controversy with members House calling equal standing with the Senate.
Tinubu had in a live broadcast on Independence Day conferred the honour of GCON on the President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, and conferred CFR on the Speaker of the House of Representatives and Deputy President of the Senate.
However, in a statement on Friday, Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, stated that 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,” the statement reads.