UPDATED: Tinubu confers national honours on Akpabio, CJN Kekere-Ekun, Speaker Tajudeen

"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)," Mr Tinubu said.

President Bola Tinubu has conferred national honours on five senior government officials.

The Nigerian leader, speaking in a televised Independence Day broadcast, announced the conferment of the titles on the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio and his deputy, Barau Jibrin, House Speaker Abbas Tajudeen and his deputy, Ben Kalu, and the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Kudirat Kekere-Ekun.

Mr Tinubu announced that the duo of Senate president and CJN got the Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger (GCON) while Messrs Tajudeen and Jibrin got the Commander of the Order of the Federal Republic (CFR).

Finally, Mr Kalu has been conferred with the Commander of the Order of Niger (CON).

“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),” Mr Tinubu said.

“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).”

Ms Kekere-Ekun emerged as the 18th CJN and the second female to occupy the position since independence. She was sworn in by the president on Monday after confirmation by the Senate last week.

Meanwhile, the other officials were elected by their peers into their respective positions on 13 June 2023.

In the case of Mr Akpabio, he initially had the Commander of the Order of the Niger (CON) as a former governor of Akwa-Ibom State.

While national honours are the subject of conventions and practice, they have recently become highly political.

In 2022, the exclusion of former Senate President Bukola Saraki from the list of GCON awardees generated uproar, with many arguing that then-President Muhammadu Buhari disregarded convention due to his political rivalry with the former Kwara State governor.

Similarly, in 2018, ahead of the presidential election, Mr Buhari conferred the Grand Commander of the Federal Republic (GCFR) on the presumed winner of the June 12, 1993 presidential election. The GCFR is the highest honour, reserved only for presidents.

Many believed at the time that the then-president’s move was an attempt to appeal to South-west voters.