Group advocates suspension of national honours award

Posted by admin Latest Politics Saturday, September 15th, 2012

The Forum for Justice and Human Rights Defence has advocated immediate suspension of the national honours awards insisting that the process and criteria for the award had been abused in the country.

The National Coordinator of the group, Mr. Oghenejabor Ikimi, told our correspondent in Yenagoa that the award had lost its national value and respect and was no longer based on merit and selfless service to the nation.

He regretted that the award which was conceived to reward distinguished Nigerians and outstanding patriots had become a tool used by leaders to score cheap political points.

He insisted that the honour must be suspended for 25 years in order to properly evaluate the process.

“It is our humble suggestion that during the period of suspension, the Federal Government should strip past awardees who had been tried and convicted of criminal offences while other past awardees should be watched closely by subjecting them to yearly evaluation and those found wanting be stripped of their awards,” he said.

Ikimi who is a lawyer and human rights activist said it was embarrassing that since the inception of the award in the 60s, 2000 Nigerians had been conferred with it.

“Whereas in a country like the United States of America with over 200 years of independence, recipients of its National Honours Award since independence are less than 3000.

“This goes to show how prestigious and sacred the USA National Honours Award is to the average American.”

-Punchwp_posts