President Goodluck Jonathan will confer the 2013/2014 National
Honours on 305 “Nigerians and friends of Nigeria” today. The
award ceremony, which will hold at the International Conference
Centre, Abuja, is a public recognition of those who have
distinguished themselves in various fields of endeavour, and
whose lives have positively affected their fellow citizens and
humanity in general. Awardees are believed to be persons who
have been found worthy in both character and individual accom
plishments to deserve the honour.
A major distinguishing feature of this year’s award is that for the
first time in two years, there is no recipient for the award of the
Grand Commander of the Niger (GCON). However, according to the
approval contained in the honours’ list, 24 people are to be
honoured in the prestigious category of Commander of the
Federal Republic (CFR). Among those to be honoured in this
category are the four service chiefs: Air Marshal Alex Badeh
(Chief of Defence Staff); Lt.Gen. Kenneth Minimah (Chief of Army
Staff); Rear Admiral Usman Jubrin (Chief of Naval Staff) and Air
Vice Marshal Adesola Amosu (Chief of Air Staff). Also to be
honoured with the award of CFR are the Acting Inspector General
of Police, Suleiman Abba, and the National Security Adviser
(NSA), Col. Sambo Dasuki (retd.)
A breakdown of other categories shows that 59 people, including
the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress
(APC),Chief John Odigie Oyegun; Governor of Ondo State, Dr.
Olusegun Mimiko; the defeated governorship candidate of the
Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the recent Osun gubernatorial
election, Senator Iyiola Omisore; eight serving ministers and
seven state Chief Judges are recipients of the Commander of the
Niger (CON).
The National Chairman of the All Progressives Grand Alliance
(APGA) Chief Victor Umeh; MD/CEO of Diamond Bank, Alex Otti;
the Secretary of the 2014 National Conference,Valerie Azinge and
the Comptroller General of the Immigration Service, David
Parradang, bagged the Officer of the Federal Republic (OFR)
Award. Also, 53 other persons are to be honoured in the category
of Member of the Federal Republic (MFR). They include the
publisher of The Guardian, Mrs. Maiden Alex-Ibru, a veteran
journalist, Mrs.Moji Makanjuola and the National President of the
National Council of Women Societies, Nkechi Mba. The list of 55
people to receive the Member of the Niger (MON) award is domi
nated by sportsmen and women. Prominent among them are
Blessing Okagbare, a gold medalist at this year’s Commonwealth
Games in Glasgow, Scotland, and the Most Valuable Player (MVP)
of the National U-17 football team, Asisat Oshoala. A traffic
warden, Corporal Solomon Dauda and two presidential stewards,
Michael Onuh and Oba Michael Adesina, also made the list.
While we heartily congratulate all the recipients on the honour
being bestowed on them today, it is necessary to remind them
that this public recognition of their good works should be
reciprocated with exemplary lives that are worthy of emulation.
They also should be mindful of the fact that should any of them
be found wanting in their conduct in future, the awards that they
are receiving today may be withdrawn. It is on record that the fed
eral government has had reasonable cause in the past to
withdraw national honours that had been conferred on some
people.
We must say without equivocation that as in recent years, some
of the names on this year’s honours list are not worthy of the
recognition. The criteria that qualified them for the honour are
clearly lost on many Nigerians. It is regrettable that in spite of
complaints by well meaning Nigerians who urged the government
to carefully vet the prospective names for the National Honours,
and despite the president’s assurances last year to redefine the
criteria used in selecting the awardees, this year’s event has
again come short of expectation. The conferment of the awards,
in some respects, will not be the inspiring national ceremony that
it ought to be. In short, we find the conferment of national
honours on some of the awardees simply distasteful.
While some of the recipients richly deserve the honour and the
accolades that normally attend it, that cannot be said of many
others who are public cynosures of vices, and not virtues. For
instance, there are some politicians and judges of questionable
character, who have graft and other grievous criminal allegations
against them, on this list.
It needs repeating that National Honours award is a significant
and profound event that should take into due cognizance the
character, commitment and antecedents of every potential
awardee, and the impact that such public recognition would have
on public morality and humanity in general. National honours
should be given to people with specific ennobling acts of honour,
sacrifice or uncommon courage that are capable of inspiring the
citizenry to greater heights.
It is, therefore, time to redefine and reassess the criteria. We
maintain that the only way the National Honours can remain
relevant, respectable, dignified and credible is to award them on
merit. It should not be based on political, ethnic or religious
considerations. That is the only way that the awards can serve
the desired purpose of pointing out outstanding Nigerians that
are worthy of emulation in the country. It is only when it is such
deserving persons that are honoured that Nigeria can make
sustained progress as a nation as other Nigerians aspire to copy
their worthy examples.
Honours on 305 “Nigerians and friends of Nigeria” today. The
award ceremony, which will hold at the International Conference
Centre, Abuja, is a public recognition of those who have
distinguished themselves in various fields of endeavour, and
whose lives have positively affected their fellow citizens and
humanity in general. Awardees are believed to be persons who
have been found worthy in both character and individual accom
plishments to deserve the honour.
A major distinguishing feature of this year’s award is that for the
first time in two years, there is no recipient for the award of the
Grand Commander of the Niger (GCON). However, according to the
approval contained in the honours’ list, 24 people are to be
honoured in the prestigious category of Commander of the
Federal Republic (CFR). Among those to be honoured in this
category are the four service chiefs: Air Marshal Alex Badeh
(Chief of Defence Staff); Lt.Gen. Kenneth Minimah (Chief of Army
Staff); Rear Admiral Usman Jubrin (Chief of Naval Staff) and Air
Vice Marshal Adesola Amosu (Chief of Air Staff). Also to be
honoured with the award of CFR are the Acting Inspector General
of Police, Suleiman Abba, and the National Security Adviser
(NSA), Col. Sambo Dasuki (retd.)
A breakdown of other categories shows that 59 people, including
the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress
(APC),Chief John Odigie Oyegun; Governor of Ondo State, Dr.
Olusegun Mimiko; the defeated governorship candidate of the
Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the recent Osun gubernatorial
election, Senator Iyiola Omisore; eight serving ministers and
seven state Chief Judges are recipients of the Commander of the
Niger (CON).
The National Chairman of the All Progressives Grand Alliance
(APGA) Chief Victor Umeh; MD/CEO of Diamond Bank, Alex Otti;
the Secretary of the 2014 National Conference,Valerie Azinge and
the Comptroller General of the Immigration Service, David
Parradang, bagged the Officer of the Federal Republic (OFR)
Award. Also, 53 other persons are to be honoured in the category
of Member of the Federal Republic (MFR). They include the
publisher of The Guardian, Mrs. Maiden Alex-Ibru, a veteran
journalist, Mrs.Moji Makanjuola and the National President of the
National Council of Women Societies, Nkechi Mba. The list of 55
people to receive the Member of the Niger (MON) award is domi
nated by sportsmen and women. Prominent among them are
Blessing Okagbare, a gold medalist at this year’s Commonwealth
Games in Glasgow, Scotland, and the Most Valuable Player (MVP)
of the National U-17 football team, Asisat Oshoala. A traffic
warden, Corporal Solomon Dauda and two presidential stewards,
Michael Onuh and Oba Michael Adesina, also made the list.
While we heartily congratulate all the recipients on the honour
being bestowed on them today, it is necessary to remind them
that this public recognition of their good works should be
reciprocated with exemplary lives that are worthy of emulation.
They also should be mindful of the fact that should any of them
be found wanting in their conduct in future, the awards that they
are receiving today may be withdrawn. It is on record that the fed
eral government has had reasonable cause in the past to
withdraw national honours that had been conferred on some
people.
We must say without equivocation that as in recent years, some
of the names on this year’s honours list are not worthy of the
recognition. The criteria that qualified them for the honour are
clearly lost on many Nigerians. It is regrettable that in spite of
complaints by well meaning Nigerians who urged the government
to carefully vet the prospective names for the National Honours,
and despite the president’s assurances last year to redefine the
criteria used in selecting the awardees, this year’s event has
again come short of expectation. The conferment of the awards,
in some respects, will not be the inspiring national ceremony that
it ought to be. In short, we find the conferment of national
honours on some of the awardees simply distasteful.
While some of the recipients richly deserve the honour and the
accolades that normally attend it, that cannot be said of many
others who are public cynosures of vices, and not virtues. For
instance, there are some politicians and judges of questionable
character, who have graft and other grievous criminal allegations
against them, on this list.
It needs repeating that National Honours award is a significant
and profound event that should take into due cognizance the
character, commitment and antecedents of every potential
awardee, and the impact that such public recognition would have
on public morality and humanity in general. National honours
should be given to people with specific ennobling acts of honour,
sacrifice or uncommon courage that are capable of inspiring the
citizenry to greater heights.
It is, therefore, time to redefine and reassess the criteria. We
maintain that the only way the National Honours can remain
relevant, respectable, dignified and credible is to award them on
merit. It should not be based on political, ethnic or religious
considerations. That is the only way that the awards can serve
the desired purpose of pointing out outstanding Nigerians that
are worthy of emulation in the country. It is only when it is such
deserving persons that are honoured that Nigeria can make
sustained progress as a nation as other Nigerians aspire to copy
their worthy examples.
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