Buhari to Honour Ariwoola, Okonjo-Iweala, Abba Kyari, Others

Deji Elumoye and Olawale Ajimotokan in Abuja

President Muhammadu Buhari is set to confer the 2022 National Honours Award on the Director-General, World Trade Organisation, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala; Chief Justice of Nigeria, Kayode Ariwoola and 436 others.

The Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, late Chief of Staff to the President, Mallam Abba Kyari; the President of the Senate, Dr. Ahmad Lawan also made the list.

It was gathered that conferment is slated to hold on October 11 at the State House in Abuja.

On the list, sighted by PREMIUM TIMES, five persons were listed for the award of the Grand Commander of the Order of Niger, 58 listed for Commander of the Order of the Federal Republic while 67 for the Commander of the Order of the Niger.

Others include 64 for Officer of the Order of the Federal Republic, 101 for Officer of the Order of the Niger, 75 for Member of the Order of the Federal Republic, 56 for Member of the Order of the Niger, and eight for Federal Republic Medal.

Adesina and Okonjo-Iweala, would be honored with the OON and the GCON respectively, with Kyari getting posthumous honour.

Serving and former governors, serving and former presiding officers of the National Assembly, serving and former Chief Justices of Nigeria and serving and former members of the National Assembly are also included in the list, with serving and former service chiefs, traditional rulers, retired public servants, lawyers, philanthropists, businessmen, ministers and members of the academia not excluded.

Other recipients include the immediate past Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Tanko Muhammad and the United Nations Deputy Secretary General; Amina Mohammed.

PREMIUM TIMES gathered that prominent on the list of recipients for CFR included the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila; Chief of Defence Staff, Lucky Irabor; former Speaker, Yakubu Dogara, and Appeal Court president, Monica Mensem, and former Army Chief, Tukur Buratai.

Others are the Inspector General of Police, Usman Alkali, his predecessor, Mohammed Adamu, Emir of Lafia, Sidi Bage, and Tor Tiv, James Ayatse, amongst others.

Nominees in this category of the OFR include Catholic Archbishop of Abuja, Ignatius Kaigama, the Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, Mele Kyari, Nasiru Bayero and Muiz Banire, as well as Ishaq Bello, Aliyu El-Nafaty and Kehinde Aina, among others.

In the OON category, the nominees include lawmakers Alhassan Doguwa, Muktar Betara, Ndudi Elumelu and Nkiruka Onyejeocha. Others are a former Permanent Secretary, Sunday Echono, the Nigerian Bar Association President, Yakubu Maikyau, Sarki Abba and Sabiu Yusuf, among others.

In the MFR category, Sanusi Lemu, late Deputy IG Joseph Egunike (posthumous), Haliru Nababa and singer Burna Boy made the list.

Others are Simon Shango, Billy Okoye, Akwa Okon and Emeka Agbanari, amongst others, while 2Face Idibia, Shehu Othman, Teni the entertainer and Abubakar Maikano made the MON list.