The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, has expressed gratitude to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for conferring on him the national honour of Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger (GCON).
The honour comes after the House of Representatives rejected the previous designation of Commander of the Federal Republic (CFR), which was conferred on the Speaker earlier in the week, while Senate President Godswill Akpabio received the GCON honour.
The House argued that its ranking is equal to that of the Senate and demanded that the Speaker be accorded the same recognition.
President Tinubu’s decision to upgrade Abbas’ national honour to GCON has been hailed as a correction of a historical oversight.
In his response on Saturday, Speaker Abbas thanked the President for rectifying what he called a mistake made by previous administrations.
“I thank President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, for correcting the mistakes by past administrations of not according the House its constitutional recognition. The President has once again demonstrated his democratic credentials of being a true democrat, an objective and a listening leader,” Abbas wrote on his X handle.
The Speaker emphasized that the honour now reflects the equal status of the House of Representatives and the Senate, a recognition that had long been overdue.
“With this development, Nigeria and indeed the world, now know that the House of Representatives of the Federal Republic of Nigeria has the same status as its sister chamber, the Senate, and is treated as such,” he added.
Abbas also congratulated the 10th House of Representatives for what he described as a historic achievement, thanking his colleagues for their efforts in addressing the perceived discrimination.
