KEY POINTS

• House wants Speaker Abbas to get the GCON award rather than CFR.
• The idea that the Senate is superior to the House is contested by legislators.
• Resolutions endorsing co-leadership and legislative equality are passed by the House.

Speaker Tajudeen Abbas was awarded the title of Commander of the Federal Republic (CFR) by President Bola Tinubu, but the House of Representatives rejected the announcement and demanded that Speaker Abbas be recognized as a Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger (GCON).

Lawmakers contended that the Senate President, who was also granted GCON, and the Speaker should be treated equally since they are the leaders of one of the two legislative chambers.

House rejects speaker’s lesser honour 

Deputy Spokesperson Philip Agbese and 248 co-sponsors introduced a motion that the House accepted at plenary, stating that the National Assembly is a bicameral legislature with the Senate and the House of Representatives having equal constitutional jurisdiction.

Agbese expressed concern about what he saw as a persistent distortion that diminishes the standing of the House of Representatives by portraying it as inferior to the Senate. Along with criticizing the Senate President’s use of the title “Chairman of the National Assembly,” he said it was unconstitutional and imprecise.

Several legislators expressed their agreement with the move. Sada Soli drew attention to disparities in the national honors system by insisting that the Speaker, as the fourth-ranking official in the nation, should get the GCON. Representing Lagos, Babajimi Benson noted that this inequality is not new and referred to it as a “institutional error.”

He underlined that the House Speaker is a crucial player in Nigeria’s democratic process and that the House of Representatives should be given the same respect as the Senate.

Lawmakers advocate for parity in the law

Additionally, lawmakers wanted to stop referring to the House as the “lower chamber” and the Senate as the “upper chamber.” According to Vanguard, the House passed resolutions mandating that the equality of both chambers and their leaders be reflected in all official communications and references.

The resolution stated that the House asked all pertinent public servants, organizations, and media outlets to refrain from using language that implies a superiority between the Senate and the House of Representatives or its leaders.

In accordance with the requirements of the Constitution, the House confirmed that Speaker Abbas and the Senate President should be acknowledged as co-chairmen of the National Assembly.

In order to guarantee parity, the House additionally directed committees to communicate with the Presidency in order to suggest modifications to the National Honors Act that acknowledge the Speaker as a co-leader of the National Assembly.

They asked that this adjustment be implemented before to President Tinubu’s official awarding and decorating.