Reps Deputy Spokesman Commends Tinubu for Upgrading Speaker’s Honour
The deputy spokesman of the House of Representatives, Philip Agbese, praised President Bola Tinubu for upgrading Speaker Tajudeen Abbas’s national honour to Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger (GCON).
During a plenary session, Agbese thanked Tinubu for correcting the “historical misstep” and recognizing the Office of the Speaker’s dignity. The upgrade followed the House’s request to elevate Abbas’s initial Commander of the Federal Republic (CFR) honour.
Tinubu conferred national honours on prominent Nigerians, including Senate President Godswill Akpabio, Deputy Senate President Jibrin Barau, and Speaker Abbas, during his independence anniversary broadcast.
Agbese noted that the initial honour bestowed on Abbas was lower than that of the Chief Justice of Nigeria, despite Abbas’s higher ranking in the order of protocol. Lawmakers across party lines commended Agbese’s motion and appealed to Tinubu to correct the anomaly.
In a telephone interview, Agbese requested a similar upgrade for Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu’s Commander of the Order of the Niger to Commander of the Federal Republic, citing the Deputy Senate President’s equivalent honour.
