By Damilare Adeleye
President Bola Tinubu has made a U-turn on his earlier announcement, conferring the Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger (GCON) on the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas.
Recall that during his 64th Independence Anniversary broadcast on 1 October, President Tinubu announced to award the speaker and the deputy senate president with the Commander of the Federal Republic (CFR).
The announcement however sparked debate in the House of Representatives on Wednesday, calling on the President to confer a higher honour on the Speaker.
Sparklight News understands that GCON is the second highest national honour in Nigeria.
A statement issued on Friday by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, explained 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 statement further said that 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 soon.