By Samuel Ogundipe

The award of Nigeria’s highest national honour to late Moshood Abiola is illegal, a former Chief Justice of Nigeria has told PREMIUM TIMES.

President Muhammadu Buhari on Wednesday evening named Mr Abiola, winner of 1993 presidential election that was annulled by former dictator Ibrahim Babangida, a holder of the Grand Commander of the Federal Republic, GCFR, 20 years after his death in 1998.

Alfa Belgore, CJN from 2006-2007, said the national honours cannot be awarded posthumously, much less the GCFR, which is the highest honour in the land.

“It is not done,” Mr Belgore told PREMIUM TIMES by telephone Wednesday night. “It is for people living.”

“The only thing they could do is to name a place after him, but national honours award, no,” he added.

Mr Belgore, chairman of the 2016 national honours committee, also said he “was not consulted” by the Buhari administration before the decision was taken.

Mr Belgore said under the 1963 National Honours Act, only soldiers or other servicemen could be awarded posthumous medals for their bravery.

The president also declared that Democracy Day would be celebrated on June 12 to further honour the memory of Mr Abiola.

The move has received mixed feelings, with supporters of the government seeing it as a welcomed move while critics dismissed it as a desperate political calculation ahead of 2019 elections in which Mr Buhari has declared he would run for second term.

lalasticlala

hush15:


we must be honest with ourselves, its a good act done wrongly with bad motives to ridicule our democratic institutions.

Vatsyayana:
Well this is an executive order. Let's see how far it can go.

AgbitiOnne:
Mr. Man I am sure you no the road to Court
go there and prove your case

Omeokachie:
Toh...

It is always 'do first and think afterwards' that is the hallmark of this administration.

Buhari's desperation to hang on to power will sink this country if Nigerians are not careful and watchful.

Referred to as "the Orders"-

(2) Each of the Orders shall consist of four ranks of which-

(a) the first and highest shall be that of Grand Commander;

(b) the second that of Commander;

(c) the third that of Officer; and

(d) the fourth that of Member of the Order.

(3) Subject to article 2 of this warrant, the numbers of persons appointed to the different ranks of the Orders in any calendar year shall not exceed-

(a) in the case of Grand Commander, two as respects the Order of the Federal Re- public and ten as respects the Order of the Niger;

(b) in the case of Commander, twenty as respects the Order of the Federal Republic and thirty as respects the Order of the Niger;

(c) in the case of Officer, fifty as respects the Order of the Federal Republic and 100 as respects the Order of the Niger; and

(d) in the case of Member, 100 as respects each order.

2. Eligibility for appointment to Orders

(1) Subject to paragraph (2) of this article, a person shall not be eligible for appointment to any rank of an Order unless he is a citizen of Nigeria.

(2) A person other than a citizen of Nigeria shall be eligible for appointment as the honorary holder of any rank of an Order; and appointments made in pursuance of this paragraph shall be disregarded for the purposes of paragraph (3) of the foregoing article.

3. Mode of appointment to Orders, etc.

(1) The President shall by notice in the Federal Gazette signify his intention of appointing a person to a particular rank of an Order.

(2) Subject to the next following paragraph of this article, a person shall be appointed to a particular rank of an Order when he receives from the President in person, at an investiture held for the purpose-
[
(a) the insignia appropriate for that rank; and

(b) an instrument under the hand of the President and the public seal of the Federation declaring him to be appointed to that rank.

(3) If in the case of any person it appears to the President expedient to dispense with the requirements of paragraph (2) of this article, he may direct that that person shall be appointed to the rank in question in such a manner as may be specified in the direction.

(4) It shall be the duty of the Secretary to the Federal Government or of such other officer as the President may determine, to establish and maintain a register in respect of each Order and to enter in the register particulars of the persons appointed to different ranks of the Order.
.....

http://www.lawnigeria.com/LFN/N/National-Honours-Act.php

If section 3 paragraph 2 insists the awardee must be honoured in person, doesn't section 3 paragraph 3 give room for posthumous award ? Over to the lawyers in the house