The House of Representatives has rejected the recent Commander of the Federal Republic (CFR) honour conferred on its Speaker, Hon. Tajudeen Abbas, calling it an “inferior” recognition compared to the Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger (GCON) given to the President of the Senate.
In response, the House has called for amendments to the National Honours Act of 1964 to appropriately recognise the Speaker as co-head of the National Assembly, on par with the Senate President.
This decision came after the House adopted a motion titled, “Inappropriate Discrimination Against the House of Representatives and the Presentation of the Chamber as Inferior to the Senate,” sponsored by Hon. Philip Agbese and 235 co-sponsors during a plenary session on Wednesday.
Presenting the motion, Agbese pointed out that Section 47 of the 1999 Constitution establishes the National Assembly as a bicameral body, with the Senate and the House of Representatives playing distinct yet complementary roles in the legislative process. He expressed concern over the ongoing portrayal of the House as inferior to the Senate, particularly through language that refers to the Senate as the “upper chamber” and the House of Representatives as the “lower chamber.”
Agbese stressed that such terminology misrepresents the equal standing of both chambers, undermining the authority of the House. He also criticised the practice of referring to the Senate President as the “Chairman of the National Assembly,” arguing that the title lacks legal backing and creates a false hierarchy between the two chambers.
The lawmaker further highlighted that this issue became evident during the recent conferment of National Honours by President Bola Tinubu. While the Senate President received the GCON honour, Speaker Abbas was awarded the CFR, a distinction that, according to Agbese, perpetuates the inappropriate subordination of the Speaker to the Senate President.
“The National Honours Act of 1964 does not explicitly prescribe these honours for the leadership of the National Assembly,” Agbese said. “These distinctions are based on custom, not statutory requirement.”
The House passed several resolutions, including:
– A formal call to end the discriminatory practice of referring to the Senate as the “upper chamber” and the House as the “lower chamber.”
– A mandate to relevant House Committees to collaborate with the Presidency and propose amendments to the National Honours Act of 1964 to recognise the Speaker as co-head of the National Assembly. This includes conferring the GCON honour upon the Speaker, ensuring parity with the Senate President.
– An appeal to President Tinubu to uphold the principle of bicameral equality in decisions involving the leadership of the National Assembly.
The motion reflects the House’s commitment to ensuring that both chambers of the National Assembly are treated as equal arms of Nigeria’s legislative framework.
