‘Why Tinubu’s posthumous national honour award on slain soldiers ignites fresh controversy’

President Bola Tinubu has conferred posthumous national honours on the 17 soldiers who were killed in the Okuama community of Delta state.

The president also announced the provision of housing facilities for the surviving family members and scholarships for all their children to the university level.

The 4 ranking officers have been awarded with the Member of the Order of Niger (MON). The remaining 13 officers have been awarded the Officer of the Order of the Niger (OON)

He also directed the payment of death benefits to the family members within 90 days.

But the national honours bestowed on the slain soldiers have set off a fresh controversy in the polity on the lone count that no one knows the criteria that were used in determining who received what

BAR & BENCH WATCH reports that the award was conferred at the burial ceremony held at the National Cemetery, Abuja, on Wednesday, March 27.

It was announced in a post by the Special Assistant to President Tinubu on Social Media, Dada Olusegun.

According to the post,“President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has posthumously awarded the 17 heroes of the Okuama massacre with National Honours

“The 4 ranking officers have been awarded with the Member of the Order of Niger (MON). The remaining 13 officers have been awarded the Officer of the Order of the Niger (OON).”

From the post, it does appear that junior officers were accorded higher honours.

National Honours are the highest honours or awards that a citizen can receive from his or her country for service to the country.

The Nigerian National Honours, in descending order of importance, are:

Order of the Federal Republic

• Grand Commander of the Order of the Federal Republic (GCFR)
• Commander of the Order of the Federal Republic (CFR)
• Officer of the Order of the Federal Republic (OFR)
• Member of the Order of the Federal Republic (MFR)

Order of the Niger

• Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger (GCON)
• Commander of the Order of the Niger (CON)
• Officer of the Order of the Niger (OON)
• Member of the Order of the Niger (MON)

The GCFR and GCON are customarily respectively bestowed on former occupants of the office of President of Nigeria and Vice President of Nigeria including former military heads of state of Nigeria and Chiefs of General Staff.

The GCON is also customarily bestowed on the Chief Justice of Nigeria and the President of the Nigerian Senate during their first year in office, while the CON is customarily bestowed on Justices of the Supreme Court of Nigeria

BAR & BENCH WATCH reports that the OON conferred on each of the 13 officers is bigger than the MON conferred on the 4 ranking military officers who died in Okuama.

But it was not immediately clear why the ranking officers got lower national honours than their subordinates.

Tinubu posthumously conferred the national honour of Member of the Order of the Niger on the Commanding Officer 181 Amphibious Battalion, Lt. Col. A.H Ali; Maj S.D Shafa (N/13976); Maj D.E Obi (N/14395) and Capt U Zakari (N/16348).

He also conferred the honour of Officer of the Order of the Niger on SSgt Yahaya Saidu (#3NA/36/2974); Cpl Yahaya Danbaba (1ONA/65/7274); Cpl Kabiru Bashir (11NA/66/9853); LCpl Bulus Haruna (16NA/TS/5844); LCpl Sola Opeyemi (17NA/760719); LCpl Bello Anas (17NA/76/290); LCpl Hamman Peter (NA/T82653); LCpl Ibrahim Abdullahi (18NA/77/1191); Pte Alhaji Isah (17NA/76/6079); Pte Clement Francis (19NA/78/0911); Pte Abubakar Ali (19NA/78/2162); Pte Ibrahim Adamu (19NA/78/6079) and Pte Adamu Ibrahim (21NA/80/4795).