By: Amir Abdulazeez
If we can recall, on 7th October, 2015 a 19-year-old student, Hassan Mohammed Damagum sacrificed himself
to save others from a suicide bomber who attempted to attack a mosque during the Subh (Dawn) prayer at
Buhari Housing Estate in Yobe State. Hassan had sensed that the individual standing next to him was a suicide
bomber trying to kill people. The boy was said to have confronted the bomber which blew both of them off.
Again, on 25th January 2017, Yakubu Fannami, another student from Borno State who was just in SS1 died a
hero while preventing a suicide bomber from entering at the Darrusalam Science and Islamic Academy in
Maiduguri. Fannami tackled the female suicide bomber, preventing her from reaching the mosque and
detonating her explosives, thus saving the lives of many worshippers.
To the best of my research which may be inadequate, none of the two boys were publicly given a significant
national recognition. The story of Nigeria is replete with the neglect of brave and heroic citizens who had
sacrificed a lot and even laid down their lives to save others. Since 1999, Nigeria has always chosen to reward
and honour many lazy elites who had contributed virtually nothing, but rather became huge beneficiaries of
government patronage and corruption. Every President has made it a duty to dash out national honours to his
choice elites in a manner one would do with his personal property.
In line with the routine tradition of his predecessors, President Bola Tinubu used the June 12, 2025
Democracy Day to confer over 100 national honours—some of them posthumously. As expected, many
awardees are members of his administration and personalities very close to him. A section of the awardees list
portrays a belated compensation package to a gang of Abacha victims, who actually need justice more than
honour. While people like Prof. Humphrey Nwosu (CON), Prof. Wole Soyinka (GCON), Alhaji Balarabe
Musa (CFR), Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah (CON) and Femi Falana, SAN (CON) truly deserve their
awards, it would have been wiser and more balanced to include people like Late Bashir Tofa (Abiola’s NRC
opponent), Late Abubakar Rimi and Magaji Abdullahi (two important SDP figures who miraculously
delivered Kano, Tofa’s State to Abiola) and of course M.D. Yusufu, the presidential candidate of MDJ who
was Abacha’s sole challenger in his bid to undemocratically transform to a civilian president, among others.
Perhaps, they would be remembered by this or another President in the next set of awards, for at this rate,
every political household name, dead or alive, may soon have a national honour in Nigeria by 2030.
What exactly is this national honour and who are those who deserve it? The honouring system was originally
envisioned as a prestigious recognition of exceptional service to the nation and was formally established by
the National Honours Act No. 5 of 1964 to inspire patriotism, reward merit and foster national unity. The
structure of national honours, divided into two orders (Order of the Federal Republic and Order of the Niger)
and eight ranks (GCFR, GCON, CFR, CON, OFR, OON, MFR, MON), was designed to reflect degrees of
national impact. However, the system’s proliferation and indiscriminate distribution have undermined these
distinctions, often placing true heroes, statesmen and national icons equal or below some presidential
sycophants, political loyalists and officeholders, regardless of their performance or public standing.
The early years of Nigeria’s national honours system reflected its original purpose. Recipients such as Dr.
Nnamdi Azikiwe, Sir Ahmadu Bello, Chief Obafemi Awolowo and Mrs. Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti were
honoured for verifiable and transformative contributions. However, over time, the politicization and
personalization of the awards diminished its integrity, giving way to an annual ritual often characterised by
hundreds of questionable awardees whose contributions to the nation are neither tangible nor verifiable. In the
past 15 years, things have gotten worse as the selection system itself have been incompetently reduced to a
mechanism marred by political patronage, duplication and credibility crises.
Today, the integrity of this noble initiative is in serious jeopardy, with widespread skepticism about its selection process and relevance. Ideally, recipients should be individuals whose lives exemplify ethicalintegrity, measurable public impact and selfless service. However, the current trend favours tenure over
Achievement and proximity to power over merit. Politicians under corruption investigation, individuals with
No tangible contributions and business moguls with opaque wealth have all made their way into the honours
Roll. Prominent Nigerians have rejected national honours in protest. Chinua Achebe, Gani Fawehinmi and
Wole Soyinka famously turned down honours in the past, citing corruption, misgovernance and the lack of
Transparency in the process. Their principled refusals sent powerful messages about the need to restore the
Credibility of the system. As Achebe aptly put it, ‘a government that fails its people cannot in good conscience
Bestow honours’.
Numerous scandals have exposed the flaws of the system. In 2022, the conferment of awards to serving
Ministers during a prolonged ASUU strike and the inclusion of people accused of corruption represented a
New low. Even more embarrassing were administrative blunders such as conferring posthumous awards to
Please certain intersts and duplication of awards to the same person under different titles. Meanwhile,
Countless unsung heroes remain ignored. Rural teachers shaping future generations, healthcare workers
Battling epidemics without protection and community leaders mediating conflicts receive no recognition.
Some few non-elitist Nigerians have been reluctantly recognized by the establishment in the past. The belated
Honour to Dr. Ameyo Stella Adadevoh (posthumous OON, 2022), whose sacrifice averted an Ebola
Catastrophe in August, 2014, only came after sustained public pressure for about eight years. In August, 2018,
Then President Muhammadu Buhari and the United States Embassy honoured the Bauchi State-born 83-year
Old Malam Abubakar Abdullahi, a Muslim Imam in a village in Plateau State. He sheltered and fed 300
Christians for five days to prevent them from being killed in an uprising. The old man ran from one corner to
The other stopping youths who wanted to break into the mosque to get hold of his guests. Eventually, they
Gave up after realizing that the only way to execute their evil plan was to kill the old man. That was how he
Saved their lives. I am not sure whether the man was given any national honour beyond that presidential
Acknowledgement.
If we are to continue like this, I will suggest the renaming of the awards to “Special Presidential Honours”.
The National Honours Act, last revised in 2004, offers the President near-total discretion, with little room for
Public input or institutional checks. With time, it has been turned to a presidential farewell affair as outgoing
Presidents routinely populate honours lists upon leaving office to payback loyalists. Recent attempts at
Reform, such as the proposed National Honours and Merit Award Commission, represent a step forward but
Are insufficient on their own. Far-reaching legislative and administrative reforms are needed to restore the
Honours’ integrity. This includes public nominations, independent vetting panels, open selection criteria and
Mandatory justification of award decisions.
A critical reform must also introduce public objections and transparency mechanisms, such as publishing
Nominee shortlists and designing revocation protocols. Honours should be rescinded from individuals found
Guilty of crimes or misconduct post-conferment. The system should no longer shield disgraced figures or treat
National honours as irrevocable symbols of status regardless of later behaviour. Furthermore, awards should
Be capped annually to preserve their exclusivity. Honouring fewer, more deserving Nigerians will increase the
Prestige of the titles and prevent undeserving awards Most importantly, the honours system must reconnect
With the grassroots. By recognising farmers, nurses, teachers, inventors and humanitarian workers, Nigeria
Can turn the system into a true tool of national inspiration.
All these are by the way as ordinary Nigerians no longer care about leaders honouring themselves and their
Cronies. No impoverished Nigerian has the luxury of waiting to be honoured by someone whose honour is
Questionable himself. All Nigerians are asking for is guaranteed security to farm, stable power supply to
Produce, quality and affordable education to learn, reliable healthcare to survive and stable economy to thrive.
When they can provide this, they can go on naming and renaming national monuments after their wives and
Continue with the vicious cycle of self-glorification in the name of national honours.
Twitter: @AmirAbdulazeez