House Of Representatives Clarifies Stance On National Honour

The House of Representatives says it did not reject the plan by President Bola Tinubu to confer the Commander of the Order of the Federal Republic, CFR on Speaker Tajudeen Abbas.

Instead,it says lawmakers have argued that the CFR honour is inconsistent with the Speaker’s ranking as the nation’s fourth citizen, following the Vice President and President of the Senate, with the Chief Justice of Nigeria ranked fifth.

During Wednesday’s plenary, the House expressed concerns that conferment of the CFR on Speaker Abbas and Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger (GCON) on Senate President Godswill Akpabio perpetuates the Speaker’s subordination to the Senate President.

To address this, the House established an ad-hoc committee, chaired by the House Leader Julius Ihonvbere, to liaise with the Presidency and correct the infraction.

The Lawmakers also urged President Tinubu to consider awarding the GCON title to the Speaker, reflecting his office status and position in the National Order of Precedence.

The clarification comes after an amendment proposed by Anthony Adebayo Adepoju was deemed inappropriate and withdrawn, leading to misunderstandings about the House’s stance on the honour.

Oduyemi Odumade, Edited By Grace Namiji