Gbajabiamila rejects national honour

Victor Oluwasegun and Dele Anofi


Convinced that he has not done enough to be awarded the Officer of the Federal Republic (OFR) medal, the Minority Leader of the House of Representatives and leader of the Action Congress of Nigeria (AC N) caucus, Femi Gbajabiamila, yesterday rejected his nomination for the national honour.

According to the opposition leader in the lower chamber of the National Assembly, the honours list usually contains names  of people with  questionable character.

In a memo addressed to President Goodluck Jonathan, Gbajabiamila, who based his rejection on principle, said he might be so deserving of such award in the near future.

He said: Whilst I believe with all modesty that I have done my best as a legislator and diligently carried out my responsibilities as the leader of the opposition in the  legislative arm of government, I do not believe my best for now is sufficient or enough to have earned or otherwise made me deserving of a national honour as required under the enabling law or  international best practices.

Perhaps God willing, I may be so deserving in the near future.

The letter, entitled: Nomination as recipient of National Honours 2011, the lawmaker said the honours list has had many rotten eggs on it every other year and this has reduced what otherwise was a well intended and noble idea to a national joke.

The letter reads in part: wish to thank you very sincerely for finding me worthy of the nomination for national honours (OFR). I am truly touched by the recognition which came to me as a surprise.

Unfortunately Mr President Sir, it is with every sense of responsibility and what I believe is in the best interest of our great country and the coming generation that I politely and respectfully must decline the nomination. My reasons are as follows:

As you are probably aware, about two  years ago, I authored and sponsored a Bill (The National Honours Amendment Bill) in the House of Representatives. The Bill generated a lot of controversy both in the House and  public. By the Bill I sought amongst other things to reform the process by which national honours are awarded.

I believed then as I do now that the process had been abused and the award was no longer what was intended by the National Honours Act of 1964. The Bill was eventually passed by the House but there was insufficient time to pass through the Senate before the end of the 6th Assembly. I intend to re introduce the same Bill in this 7th Assembly.

The lawmaker noted that National Honours anywhere in the world are reserved exclusively for those who have distinguished themselves in their chosen field of endeavour and that such distinction have stood them apart and head and shoulders above their peers in contributing to the political, economic or social development of the country.