Senator Dino Melaye, the senator representing Kogi West, has said that President Muhammdu Buhari can not confer the honour of Grand Commander of the Federal Republic (GCFR) on on a dead man.
President Muhammadu Buhari on Wednesday had directed that effective from 2019, Nigerian Democracy Day, marked every May 29 for the past 18 years should now be shifted to the June 12.
The President in a statement issued by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Malam Garba Shehu, in Abuja on Wednesday, said this directive was to honuor “an illustrious son of Nigeria, Chief Moshood Kashimawo Abiola” the acclaimed winner of the 1993 presidential election.
But Melaye at the Senate on Thursday, said the national honours can only be conferred on an individual when the president receives the recipient in person saying ‘a person shall be eligible for appointment to any rank or holder unless he is a citizen of Nigeria. A dead man is not a citizen of the federal republic of Nigeria.’ We should not be emotional about this.’
“I am a democrat, I believe very sincerely that Chief M.K.O Abiola deserved even more than the president has pronounced because he is a true patriot, philanthropist and should be sole decorated. But Mr. President, we are governed in the country by the constitution and extant laws,” the lawmaker said, citing 43(2) of the national honours act “No matter how beautiful a situation is, the law of the land remains the law of the land. Section (2) says ‘ a person shall be eligible for appointment to any rank or holder unless he is a citizen of Nigeria. A dead man is not a citizen of the federal republic of Nigeria.’ We should not be emotional about this.
“The law remains the law. 3(2) subject to the next notice, ‘A person shall be appointed to a particular rank of an order when the president receives him in person.” “Mr. President, they said in person for us to do what we are supposed to do, we would have to amend the provisions of this act because anything we need to do, we have to do in accordance with the provisions of the law,” he said.