The Federal Government under President Muhammadu Buhari is set to confer National honours on 437 high-achieving Nigerians, according to a list which went viral on Sunday, IgbereTV reports
However, the Presidency has not yet officially confirmed this development.
President Muhammadu Buhari is scheduled to present the honors at a ceremony on October 11 at the State House, Abuja.
The National Honours are a set of orders and decorations conferred upon Nigerians and allies of Nigeria every year. They were instituted by the National Honors Act No. 5 of 1964, during the First Nigerian Republic, to honour Nigerians who have rendered service to the benefit of the nation and its people.
On the national honours list, five persons were listed for Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger (GCON), 54 for Commander of the Order of the Federal Republic (CFR) and 67 for the Commander of the Order of the Niger (CON).
Others are 64 for Officer of the Order of the Federal Republic (OFR), 101 for Officer of the Order of the Niger (OON), 75 for Member of the Order of the Federal Republic (MFR), 56 for Member of the Order of the Niger (MON) and eight for Federal Republic Medal (FRM).
Noteworthy is the appearance of 12 Governors, nine Ministers and two Special Assistants to the President — Femi Adesina and Sabi’u Yusuf — in an unprecedented move which might elicit criticism from political analysts.
Furthermore, five individuals are in line to receive the Grand Commander of the Niger (GCON).
The five individuals are Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Director-General of the World Trade Organization; Amina Mohammed, Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations; Ahmed Lawan, President of the Senate; Olukayode Ariwoola, Chief Justice of Nigeria; and Tanko Muhammad, a former Chief Justice of Nigeria
