No fewer than 437 persons have been nominated by the Federal Government to receive national honors.
Those nominated include Director-General of the World Trade Organization, WTO, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala; Deputy Secretary-General of the UN, Amina Mohammed; late Dr. Ameyo Adadevoh, who was given a posthumous honour for saving the country from Ebola pandemic.
While Okonjo-Iweala and Amina Mohammed were honored with the Grand Commander of Order of the Niger, GCON, Adadevoh was bestowed with Order of the Niger, OON.
The Senate President, Ahmad Lawan; Chief Justice of Nigeria, CJN, Olukayode Ariwoola; his predecessor, Tanko Mohammed, also got the GCON honours.
Similarly, hip-hop music star and Grammy award winner, Damini Ogulu, otherwise known as Burna Boy was given the award of Member of the Federal Republic, MFR, while Innocent Idibia, aka 2Face, and Teniola Apata, also known as Teni, got the honour of Member of the Order of the Niger, MON.
Those listed for the award of Commander of the Order of the Federal Republic, CFR, include the late former Chief of Staff to the President, Abba Kyari; the late former Chief of Army Staff, Lt. General Ibrahim Attahiru; President of the Court of Appeal, Monica Dongban-Mensem; and Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Oladayo Amao, among others.
In the same vein, the Oba of Benin, Oba Ewuare III and the Ooni of Ife, Ojaja II were among those honored with award of Commander of the Federal Republic, CFR.
Foreigners listed for awards include Chairman and Managing Director, Société d’Investissement pour l’Agriculture Tropicale (Siat), Pirre Vandebeeck; Chairman of Chagoury Group, Ronald Chagoury; and Chief Executive Officer of Tolaram Africa, Deepak Singhai, among others..
The awards are to be presented by President Muhammadu Buhari on October 11 at State House, Abuja.
