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Lawmakers in the House of Representatives have expressed dissatisfaction over President Bola Tinubu’s conferment of national honours, claiming discrimination against the Green Chamber. The lawmakers rejected the honour of Commander of the Order of the Federal Republic (CFR) awarded to Speaker Tajudeen Abbas, calling for equal treatment with the Senate.
In a motion sponsored by all 360 members of the House, attention was drawn to Tinubu’s decision to confer the Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger (GCON) on Senate President Godswill Akpabio and Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun.
According to the lawmakers, both chambers of the National Assembly should be treated equally, and they insisted that referring to the House of Representatives as a “lower chamber” is inappropriate. One of the members, Hon. Yusuf Gagdi, voiced the collective frustration, stating, “This discrimination is unacceptable. The House of Representatives is not lower to the Senate in rank, and the Speaker deserves the same honour as the Senate President.”
They also criticized the fact that the CJN, who they argue holds a position lower in rank than the Speaker, was awarded the GCON honour. Hon. Abdulmumin Jibrin, another representative, emphasized, “The Speaker of the House represents the will of the people, and any ranking lower than that of the Senate President is an oversight that must be corrected.”
The House urged President Tinubu to review the honours list and rectify the perceived imbalance. The national honours were announced during Tinubu’s broadcast celebrating Nigeria’s 64th Independence Day Anniversary.
In addition to Speaker Abbas receiving the CFR, Tinubu conferred the same honour on Deputy Senate President Barau Jibrin, while the Deputy Speaker of the House, Benjamin Kalu, was awarded the Commander of the Order of the Niger (CON).
“The Green Chamber deserves equal recognition, and we hope this will be corrected soon,” said Hon. Sada Soli, reiterating the House’s stance.
