By Eniola Jolaoso
The House of Representatives has addressed the ongoing reports which suggested that it had disapproved the National Honour conferred on the Speaker, Rt. Hon. Abbas Tajudeen, PhD,
This address was being made on Tuesday during the 64th Independence Anniversary celebrations.
The Deputy Spokesman, House of Representative ,Philip Agbese in corporation with over 200 members of the house co-signed the motion which raised concerns over the continuous misrepresentation of the House as the lower chamber and requested for the recognition of its equal legal status with the Senate in Nigeria’s bicameral legislature.
The Members of the Congress also laid emphasis that both chambers must adhere to all Acts of Parliament, asserting that neither of the chambers is more superior or inferior to the other.
It also argued that its Speaker ,Rt.Honourable Tajudeen Abbas, whom is regarded as the Number four citizen of the nation, should be given the same honour given to the Deputy Senate President as both presiding officers are Commanders of the Federal Republic (CFR).
According to the statement released, ” The Speaker whom is being regarded as the nation’s number four citizen ,follows the Vice President and President of the Senate in precedence, with the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) ranked fifth”
Furthermore, the members of the House desires that Rt.Honourable Abbas ,should be considered for the Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger (GCON) inorder to showcase his office’s status and position in the National Order of Precedence.
“The misunderstanding regarding the purported rejection of the honour arose from an amendment proposed by Rep. Anthony Adebayo Adepoju, which was ultimately deemed inappropriate and withdrawn. We must use this opportunity to educate some segments of the media that contributions from Honourable Members during a debate do not constitute House Resolutions. The media must diligently report what the House, in its collective wisdom, adopts as a resolution on any particular issue” they added.
Following the celebration of the prestigious award conferred by Mr. President, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu ,in exercise of his governmental power under the National Honours Act, the House of Representative Revealed that it did not reject the honour of Commander of the Federal Republic (CFR) conferred on its Speaker by His Excellency.
“We wish to clarify therefore, that this is not a matter for personal advancement of the Speaker, but a multi partisan request for recognition of the institution of the House of Representatives by all stakeholders within the framework of Nigeria’s democratic institutions” they added.
The media was also advised to be objective and accurate in it’s report as regards the preceding . Moving Further the Congressmen humbly requested that the President highly consider the improvement of such honour to align with the National Order of Precedence.
The motion which was referred to an Ad Hoc Committee included the presence of representatives from the Zonal and Regional Caucuses and is said to be graced by the House Leader for further legislative action.