BREAKING: Tinubu bows to pressure, bestow GCON honour on Reps Speaker Tajudeen Abbas

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has conferred the nation’s second-highest national honour, the Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger (GCON), on the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas.

This decision comes after members of the lower chamber of the National Assembly raised concerns about the initial honour conferred on Abbas.

During his 64th Independence Anniversary Speech on October 1, President Tinubu had awarded the Commander of the Federal Republic (CFR) title to Abbas and the Deputy Senate President.

However, the decision sparked a debate in the House of Representatives, with lawmakers urging the President to bestow a higher honour on their Speaker.

Responding to the protest, Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, announced on Friday that Tinubu had been persuaded by the House’s position and opted to rectify what was described as a “historical error and oversight.”

“Thus, he has decided to upgrade the Speaker to GCON from CFR, in accordance with the National Order of Precedence,” Onanuga said in the statement.

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 in a ceremony set to take place soon.