I wrote this article exactly two years ago on the Nigerian National Honours and Awards. Please read carefully and see whether or not there is any change in the newly released list of 2014 edition: TOWARDS RESTRUCTURING NIGERIAN NATIONAL HONOURS AND AWARDS EXERCISE Ibn Abdillah As-sudaisiy 19th September, 2012 There is nothing wrong in honouring personalities of exceptional qualities in ones society for the good works they have been able to do or their achievements towards the development of the society. All nations of the world have various and unique ways of appreciating the efforts of exemplary figures in their respective societies. Even in the Holy Books, it is evident that God honoured some personalities among his creatures. Award in this context serves as great means of encouraging deserving honourees to do more. It also serves as a source of motivation to other members of the society; especially young generations who might like to emulate them in the near future. It was in the light of the above that the government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria instituted several categories of honours and awards that are conferred on Nigerians who have distinguished themselves in various fields of endeavour. Prominent among the categories of awards and honours we have in Nigeria are; The National Honours, the Nigerian National Merit Award, the National Productivity Merit Award and the National Creativity Award. Over the years, these awards and honours have been conferred on several personalities across the federation. It must be noted that although all the categories of awards mentioned above are crucial and important by all standard, the first category (The National Honours) usually dominate the attention of Nigerians due to the fact it is the highest category of honours in Nigeria and the quality of persons clinching awards under it in recent time. The National Honors was established by the National Honors Act No. 5 of 1964, during the First Republic. Awards and honours under this category are; Grand Commander of the Order of the Federal Republic, (GCFR), Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger, (GCON), Commander of the Order of the Federal Republic, (CFR), Commander of the Order of the Niger, (CON), Officer of the Order of the Federal Republic, (OFR), Officer of the Order of the Niger, (OON), Member of the Order of the Federal Republic, (MFR), Member of the Order of the Niger (MON). There is no doubt about the fact that the National Honour has lost so much value in the eyes of Nigerians. The reason for this may not be unconnected with the dubious process and mechanisms by which recipients are nominated and determined as well as the incredible number of persons who have bagged the awards since its inception. This article of mine intends to state in clear terms some of the reasons why Nigerians have lost interest in the Honors and Awards exercise and suggest probable ways forward. Lack of honesty and sincerity of purpose in the process and circumstances through which recipients emerge in recent time robs the Honours and Awards of its credibility and acceptance among Nigerians. The National Honour supposed to be an avenue that all Nigerians can always look forward to as a platform for rewarding goodness and selfless services. In Nigeria today, the National award has become so cheap and worthless. All you need to do is find your way into politics and occupy strong political offices. It is unfortunate that majority of the people being awarded in Nigeria dont deserve it. Many among past recipients got it through political connections and cheap popularity. Politicians have become the major figures in the National Honours award list in recent times. This year’s list alone comprising of 149 Nigerians has 37 politicians. They include four serving governors and one former governor, one serving deputy governor and one former deputy governor, six serving senators and seven former senators, four members of the House of Representatives and one former member of the House, one serving Minister and one former Minister, one former national chairman of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and two serving National chairmen of political parties, two former Secretaries to State Governments (SSGs), among others. The National Honours in Nigeria has been successfully relegated to the status of Chieftaincy Title common in various local communities in Nigeria where the Emirs, Obas, Obis or Kings chose personalities who have favoured their thrones in one way or the other for unjustifiable honours. In view of the foregoing facts, I cant but agree with Andre Gide, when he says; It is better for you to be hated for what you are, than to be loved or honoured for what you are not. No wonder, respected individuals like Prof. Wole Soyinka and Prof. Chinua Achebe declined the National Honour on a number of occasions. Some renowned personalities in Nigeria only took the awards so that the sitting Presidents wouldnt feel embarrassed if they had rejected it. What is the essence of an honour achieved by an individual in a regrettable manner? It has also been noticed that the just concluded edition consists of prominent members of the ruling party. This further put to question mark on the criteria used in arriving at the list. Apart from the national chairmen of the LP and the ALP and former deputy governor of Lagos State, almost all other awardees are of the PDP. Probably, this is what made a member of the House of Representatives from Lagos State, Mr. Femi Gbajabiamila, to sponsor a bill in 2009 that sought to amend the National Honours Act with a view to subjecting the award of National Honours to the confirmation of the National Assembly. The question here is; what has become of that kind of bill? First among the condemnable process that produces recipients of honours in Nigeria are automatic awards and honours for certain political office holders. For instance, it is now customary that once an individual becomes a President or Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, he gets the Grand Commander of the Order of the Federal Republic, (GCFR) and Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger, (GCON) respectively, regardless of whether he deserves it or not. In the same vein, it is now conventionally noticed that Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger, (GCON) are automatically confered on successive occupiers of the seat of the Senate President regardless of whether they deserve it or not. It is has also become a notorious practice to honour any individual who assumes the position of the Chief Justice of Nigeria with Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger, (GCON). The same thing applies to the office of Deputy Senate President, Speaker, Deputy Speaker and other principal members of the National Assembly. Once an individual becomes a Governor, Deputy Governor, Minister, Justice of the Supreme Court or Court of Appeal, Ambassador, Inspector General of Police, he begins to think about the National Award. Almost all the traditional Rulers in Nigeria have gotten one National Honour or the other. For God sake, this should not be the yardstick to determine who gets the National Honors and Awards. The need for solemn restructuring of the exercise cannot be over emphasized. The coming generations must not meet us like this or else, there would be no hope for the future. There is no doubt about the fact that some few personalities in government deserve awards. But readers would agree with me that more than 90% of the awardees over the years do not merit it. In this country, we have been complaining of corruption, bad governance and indiscipline in our leadership circle. The ugly trend continues and our leaders are mocking us, honoring themselves and celebrating corruption publicly. In the case of President Goodluck Jonathan, because there was no outgoing President to confer on him Grand Commander of the Order of the Federal Republic, (GCFR), he conferred it on himself. The truth of the matter is that if he had waited till the expiration of his tenure, he couldnt have deserved the award considering his poor performance so far. The ideal thing is that before a person can qualify for nomination, he should only be considered after he/she might have completed his/her tenure. The awards should be based on outstanding and extra-ordinary performance and not through political connections and associateship. Aristotle (384-322 BC) said; Dignity does not consist in possessing honours, but in deserving them. In all fairness to the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, this menace of awarding and honouring undeserving citizens did not start in his tenure. It is a long term practice in this country that we must join hands together to restructure. The reason why the present government has suffered, still suffering and may continue to suffer criticism is that it has refused to learn considerable lessons from the mistakes of past administrations. It is not disputable that the Act establishing the awards empowers the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to make provisions for the award of honours, decorations and dignities. But this power must be exercised wisely and judiciously to the delight of the people. Mr. President must stop awarding persons, who sponsored his election campaign with our national honour, it is not reasonable. There might not be serious controversy on the fact that Aliko Dangote and Mike Adenuga are worthy Nigerian Ambassadors in the area of business and entrepreneurship, but I strongly condemn awarding them with the second to the highest honour in Nigeria. It was too much for them in my own perception. It simply means that next year, Femi Otedola should be expecting his turn. Perhaps the oil magnate was exempted this year because of the bribery saga involving him and Faruk Lawan earlier this year. Another condemnable process that gives birth to final lists of honourees of the National Honours and Awards is the power giving to the state Governors to nominate recipients from their respective states. In this instance, what most of the Governors does is to put their names first, include the name of one member of the National Assembly from his state and one of his loyalists among Traditional Rulers in his state. For example, a former governor of Bauchi State, who was awarded CON, has corruption charges hanging on his neck by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). About three years ago, he was declared wanted by the EFCC. Although, Section 36 (5) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria says an accused persons are presumed innocent until proven guilty by a competent court of law, it is against international norms and standards to give a national award to someone with a case to answer on alleged corrupt practices. I need not to start mentioning names, there are many of the past top government functionaries who have been awarded and were later convicted with one financial crimes or the other. Having noted the above, there is urgent need for all stake holders involved in the process of nomination and conferment of the National Honour to embark on imminent restructuring. Firstly, as I have noted above, in order to restore credibility in the exercise, all automatic, conventional and customary conferment of awards must stop. Only persons with outstanding and extraordinary performances should be awarded. This would not only paint the present administration of Goodluck Jonathan colour of transparency and accountability, it would make the exercise alluring to Nigerians to monitor and accord great respect. Secondly, I will suggest that the National Honours and Award ceremony should be coming up once in a decade. As I always say, democracy is all about the people and the people must be given the opportunity to decide who and who to be honoured. During the period of ten (10) years, Nigerians should open their eyes and search for the best persons for the various Honours. During this period, pretenders among the Governors and other top government officials would have been exposed. If a President of the Federal Republic didnt do well, he should not be honoured. If it is done on decade basis, it will reduce the number of persons to be honoured and add value to the exercise. For instance, since 1975, only 374 Legal Practitioners have been conferred with the status of Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SAN). The Legal Practitioners disciplinary committee is still working on how the number of persons to be conferred on yearly basis can be reduced. I equally propose that all the recipients to be honoured should not be more than 5 at a time. We should have nominees from different areas of human endeavors namely; Leadership, Business and Entrepreneurship, Education, Philanthropy and Sports. No one needs to apply. Credible personalities should be appointed to be in charge of the exercise to ensure fair play and justice. At the end of critical screening exercise, one individual should emerge from each of the above mentioned sectors. This process would promote healthy competition among prospective nominees, and no Nigerian would be left in doubt of the credibility of whoever clinches any of the National Honour. Our National honour is our honour; we must guide it jealously like gold. It is not meant for bad leaders, corrupt officials and dubious businessmen as we have witnessed over the years. Finally, let me close this piece by quoting the Former Governor of old Kaduna State and Chairman of the Conference of Nigeria Political Parties (CNPP), Alhaji Balarabe Musa, who said: “The national honours award has been bastardised on political lines, friends and business associates not for the interest it was meant for. Although some merited the national honour but some are purely political rewards to friends and associates. The honour should not be based on political patronage but on how people make positive changes on the lives of the people or the country.”
Posted on: Fri, 19 Sep 2014 16:27:48 +0000
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