The Deputy Spokesman of the House of Representatives, Philip Agbese, has praised President Bola Tinubu for honoring the House’s request to elevate the national honor of the Commander of the Federal Republic, previously awarded to the Speaker, Tajudeen Abbas, to the Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger.
Tinubu, in his nationwide address on Nigeria’s 64th independence anniversary, bestowed national honors on prominent Nigerians, including the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, Deputy Senate President, Jibrin Barau, Speaker Abbas, and Deputy Speaker, Benjamin Kalu, among others.
During a plenary session, Agbese thanked the President for the honor through a motion of urgent public importance.
He highlighted the discriminatory treatment towards the Speaker, emphasizing that the House was not inferior to the Senate. Agbese argued that despite the Speaker ranking 4th in the order of protocol, he was awarded a CFR, while the Chief Justice of Nigeria, who ranked 5th, received a higher honor of GCON.
Lawmakers from different political parties commended the Benue legislator and urged President Tinubu to rectify the historical disparity.
President Tinubu subsequently announced that Speaker Abbas had been honored with the GCON honor through a statement signed by his media aide, Bayo Onanuga.
Agbese also appealed to President Tinubu to upgrade Kalu’s Commander of the Order of the Niger to the Commander of the Federal Republic.
He expressed gratitude for Tinubu’s response to their plea and urged for similar recognition for the Deputy Speaker, emphasizing that both Deputy Senate President and Deputy Speaker should be accorded the same status.
Agbese underscored that this was about institutions and history, expressing confidence that the President would address the matter.
