Subtly rejecting the toga of second fiddle, the 360 members of the House of Representatives on Wednesday rejected President Tinubu’s proposed conferment of the Honour of the Commander of the Order of the Niger (CFR) on the Speaker of the House while conferring the Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger (GCON) on the
Subtly rejecting the toga of second fiddle, the 360 members of the House of Representatives on Wednesday rejected President Tinubu’s proposed conferment of the Honour of the Commander of the Order of the Niger (CFR) on the Speaker of the House while conferring the Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger (GCON) on the President of the Senate.
The house members argued against the order of protocol which places the Senate over and above the House of Representatives positing that the two chambers make laws for the country and further submitted that the dichotomy between the two chambers should be abolished.
Members further buttressed their position that in the order of protocol, the Speaker of the House of Representatives is number four while the Chief Justice of Nigeria is number five. But the Chief Justice is conferred with the Honour of GCON the Speaker is conferred on CFR arguing that it is an act of injustice which is unacceptable.
The house passed a resolution turning down the acceptance of the Honour following the adoption of a motion of urgent public importance sponsored by Philip Agbese, a lawmaker from Benue.
In his Independence Day broadcast, President Tinubu stated: “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)”
The insertion of the statement on the conferment of national honours in the broadcast had been widely queried by analysts as unnecessary. Such conferments in the past have been a routine exercise handled by the office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation.
Debating the motion at plenary on Wednesday, members offered various suggestions for amendments including that the constitutional order of protocols should state that the number 3 citizen should be the Senate president and the Speaker. Also, the idea of the Lower Chamber and Upper Chamber should be scrapped.
The House of Representatives also canvassed to play the same role as the Senate in the screening and approving of ministerial appointments. They insisted that Speaker should be honoured with the title of the GCON.
Contributing to the debate, Hon Babajimi Benson, representing Ikorodu Federal Constituency noted that the injustice has gone on for too long adding that the House of Reps is an institution that should be accorded its due respect.
Honourable Akarachi Amadi representing Mbatoli Fed Constituency of Imo State, said it is an act of discrimination against the House and that based on the number of members and the roles they perform, the House of Representatives should be treated as equal to the Senate.
Hon Abdulmumin Jibrin from Kano State said it was a misnormal that has gone on for a long time. He cited the example of the United States where it is the Speaker who acts in the absence of the President and the Vice President. He said what they were asking for was not a favour. “It may have been an oversight which should be corrected.
One question the House members did not answer was their recognition of the Senate President as the Chairman of the National Assembly as an arm of government.
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).
