LAGOS, Nigeria (VOICE OF NAIJA) – The Federal Government of Nigeria has denied releasing the purported list of nominees for national honors being circulated on social media. It was dubbed fake.
According to the list in circulation, President Muhammadu Buhari’s late Chief of Staff, Abba Kyari, and 436 others will be given national honor.
Also on the list are presidential spokesperson, Femi Adesina, the Registrar of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), Ishaq Oloyede, and the Director General of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala.
The investiture is billed to hold on 11 October at the State House in Abuja.
Lagos lawyer and activist, Bamidele Aturu, lamented that the list of the awardees was filled with friends and contractors of the government in power, describing it as a shame.
“With this, it shows that Nigeria belongs to the contractors. When they give award, they give it to themselves; they feel the country belongs to them. To me, this award is meaningless. People just love title in this country. I don’t regard this award at all and if they give it to me, I will reject it. Journalists should stop reporting them,” Aturu said.
Also, Yinka Odumakin, scribe of the Save Nigeria Group, said the list of the awardees shows that Jonathan does not give a damn about honour, saying that the list was just a compilation of names of dishonourable people, adding that there was no credibility in the award.
The Lagos State chapter of the Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, also slammed the Federal Government for awarding national honors to Nigerians with questionable integrity.
The party, in a release signed by its Publicity Secretary, Joe Igbokwe, said that a careful perusal of the latest names released for national honors shows that it’s a collection of businessmen that have no moral scruples, friends and associates of those in government, discredited contractors and acolytes of those in power, especially at the federal level and mainly Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, members who had done absolutely nothing than living off the state.
It regretted that what was instituted as a badge of honor had been bastardized to the extent that Nigerians now see it as badge of dishonour and regretted that the present government was not in a hurry to reverse this negative perception.
The Acting General Secretary of the NLC, Mr. Chris Uyot, who also reacted, said the NLC believes that the ruling class was only taking care of themselves “in terms of giving awards to their colleagues, their partners, moneybags and the rest of them.”
However, in a statement, the Director Press, Federal Ministry of Special Duties and Intergovernmental Affairs, Julie Jacobs, said it is true that President Muhammadu Buhari GCFR, will be conferring National Honors on deserving Nigerians and friends of Nigeria, but that the authentic list of nominees is yet to be released to the public.
The statement reads: “The attention of the Federal Ministry of Special Duties and Inter-Governmental Affairs has been drawn to a purported list of nominees for National Honours being circulated by some online media organisations.
“While it is true that President Muhammadu Buhari GCFR, will be conferring National Honours on deserving Nigerians and friends of Nigeria on 11th October 2022, the authentic list of nominees is yet to be released to the public. The Federal Ministry of Special Duties and Inter-Governmental Affairs will publish the list at the appropriate time and medium.
“Members of the public are hereby enjoined to discountenance the list in circulation as it is an attempt by overzealous reporters whose aim is to break news even when such news is fake.