AUSTIN OBOH
Amid the hard times which Nigerians face at present, the National Assembly was in the news this week, not over their inputs on the nation’s economic challenges but over disparity in the national honours given to the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, and the one given to the Speaker, House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas.
The Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Benjamin Okezie Kalu, had been awarded Commander of the Order of the Niger (CON) by the Federal Government, as disclosed to the nation by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in his national broadcast to mark Nigeria’s 64th Independence Day in Abuja on Tuesday.
Kalu was honoured alongside the Senate President, Senator Godswill Akpabio and the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CNN), Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun who President Tinubu said were conferred with the honour of the Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger (GCON) respectively and the Deputy Senate President and Speaker of the House of Representatives who similarly were conferred with the honour of the Commander of the Order of the Federal Republic (CFR) respectively.
Said the President: “As is the tradition, the government will soon announce all the beneficiaries of our national honours for 2024. The Senate President and the Chief Justice of the Federation have been conferred with the honour of the Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger (GCON). The deputy Senate President and Speaker of the House of Representatives have the honour of Commander of the Order of the Federal Republic (CFR), while the deputy speaker of the House has been awarded Commander of the Order of Niger (CON.”
Nigerian National Honours are a set of orders and decorations conferred upon Nigerians and friends of Nigeria every year. They were instituted by the National Honors Act No. 5 of 1964, during the First Nigerian Republic, to honour Nigerians who have rendered service to the benefit of the nation.
On Wednesday, the House of Representatives rejected the Commander of the Federal Republic (CFR) honour conferred on Speaker Abbas. The House also called on President Tinubu to confer on the office of the Speaker, the National honour of Grand Commander Of the Order of the Niger (GCON), insisting that the officer of the Speaker is higher than that of the Chief Justice of Nigeria who is to be conferred with GCON.
This followed the adoption of a motion moved by the deputy spokesperson of the House, Philip Agbese, with 248 others during plenary.
Moving the motion, Agbese, explained that the National Assembly was constitutionally established as a bicameral legislature comprising two equal chambers, the Senate and the House of Representatives, as stipulated in Section 4 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended), with both chambers operating within a framework that ensures the legislative independence and equality of each.
He expressed concerns that there is an ongoing and inappropriate culture of discrimination against the House of Representatives, often portrayed as inferior to the Senate, through language that consistently refers to the Senate as the “upper chamber” and the House of Representatives as a “lower chamber.” This terminology, he said, misrepresents the legal status of both chambers and diminishes the House’s standing.
According to Agbese, “Worried by the growing trend where the President of the Senate is referred to as the “Chairman of the National Assembly,” which inaccurately implies a hierarchical structure between the two chambers, contrary to the Constitution, and undermines the authority of the Speaker of the House of Representatives. Neither the institution nor the Standing Orders of both chambers recognise the position of a Chairman of the National Assembly, his title has no legal basis and undermines
“This discriminatory practice was once again evidenced during the recent conferment of National Honours on the leadership of the National Assembly by Mr. President. While expressing our gratitude to Mr. President for recognising and honouring the leadership of the National Assembly, we note that the conferment of the title of Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger (GCON) on the President of the Senate and the conferment of the Commander of the Federal Republic (CFR) on the Speaker of the House of Representatives and Deputy President of the Senate perpetuates the inappropriate subordination of the Speaker to the President of the Senate.
“Notes that the Chief Justice of Nigeria, who is lower in protocol ranking than the Speaker of the House of Representatives, was also awarded the title of GCON, further exemplifying this culture of discrimination against the leadership of the House.
“The Constitution, in promoting a balanced and equal bicameral legislature, clearly provides that bills passed by one chamber must be concurred with by the other in the same form for them to become law, thus affirming the equal status of both chambers as essential components of the legislative process.”
Also speaking on the motion, Sada Soli insisted that the Speaker is the fourth citizen so should be honored with GCON instead of CFR, and questioned why the Chief Justice of Nigeria will be honored with GCON while the Speaker, CFR, stating that it was a mismatch.
Advertisement
“We know the President is a listening President. We know the President is not shy. He does not shy away from going back to correcting the problem. Mr. Speaker, the House of Representatives, should hold the honour of GCON.”
On his part, Babajimi Benson (APC -Lagos) said that the move was an injustice to the institution of the House of Representatives, adding that though it has been going on for too long, it remains an institutional e r ror.
He said: “This motion cannot be overturned at any time. And I thank the 360 members who also support this motion. For putting democracy right.Injustice to one is injustice to all. This injustice has been going on for too long. It is not something that has happened only in this administration.But it is an institutional error.
“Mr. Speaker, I want to remind members that when this administration is being created, Mr. Speaker comes at number four. Before the CJN of Nigeria. But how come the CJN of Nigeria gets the GCON honour and the Speaker gets the CFR honour? Again, when I go to comparative analysis, the System of Government of the United States of America Mr. Speaker, in the national session in America, if something happens to the President and the Vice President together, members guess who is in line to be the President of America. It is not the Senate President. Neither is it the leader of the Senate. When you have a President of America, it is the Speaker of the House of Representatives.
“So, I urge members to please participate socially, and at least that way they are allowed to now be investigated by the executive. And I am sure they will come to the conclusion that something has gone wrong somewhere. So I thank you all members, and I pray that this motion is passed on to the Speaker of the House.”
Responding on Friday, the Special Adviser to President Tinubu on Senate Matters, Senator Basheer Lado, explained that the honours were conferred on the presiding officers based on laid down precedents and procedures and not by any other criterion.
Part of 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.”
By evening of Friday, news came that President Tinubu had bowed to pressure and conferred the nation’s second highest national honour, the Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger (GCON), on Speaker Abbas – obviously a sweet victory for the House of Reps.
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 severity of the controversy over the disparity in the honours accorded the heads of the two chambers of the National Assembly, critics claim, is reflective of the absence of any sense of priority by lawmakers who should be burdened by grave challenges of the moment but have instead resorted to an ego trip.
