TheNewsGuru

Tag: National Honours

  • BREAKING: Tinubu confers national honours on Akpabio, Abbas, Kekere-Ekun, others

    BREAKING: Tinubu confers national honours on Akpabio, Abbas, Kekere-Ekun, others

    President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has conferred national honours on Senate President Godswill Akpabio and the Speaker of the Nigerian House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas.

    TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports President Tinubu, who made this known on Tuesday in his 2024 Independence Day speech to Nigerians, also disclosed that he has conferred national honours on the Chief Justice of the federation, Kudirat Kekere-Ekun

    In the 2024 Independence Day speech, the President also disclosed that the Deputy Senate President and the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives have been conferred with national honours as well.

    “As is the tradition, the government will soon announce all the beneficiaries of our national honours for 2024.

    “The Senate President and the Chief Justice of the Federation have been conferred with the honour of the Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger (GCON).

    “The deputy Senate President and Speaker of the House of Representatives have the honour of Commander of the Order of the Federal Republic (CFR), while the deputy speaker of the House has been awarded Commander of the Order of Niger (CON),” he said.

  • Buhari confers national honours on 338 Nigerians, friends of Nigeria

    Buhari confers national honours on 338 Nigerians, friends of Nigeria

    President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the conferment of National honours on 338 Nigerians and friends of Nigeria to mark the country’s democratic transition to another government.

    Mrs Ibiene Roberts, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Special Duties and Intergovernmental Affairs, said this in a circular issued on Sunday in Abuja.

    “There is one person to be conferred with the Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger (GCON), 21 names for Commander of the Order of the Niger (CON), 78 names for the Officer of the Federal Republic (OFR).

    “Others are; 85 names for the Officer of the Order of Niger (OON), 52 names for the Member of the Order of Federal Republic (MFR), 22 names for the Member of the Order of Niger (MON, and 3 names for Federal Republic Medal (FRM 1).

    “All award recipients are to send hard and soft copies of their citations/resumes to the Secretary, National Honours Award Committee, Federal Ministry of Special Duties and Inter-Governmental Affairs (FMSDIGA) on or before Wednesday, May.

    “They will thereafter come to the FMSDIGA office located at the Federal Secretariat, Phase 1, Central Business District for collection of their Certificates and Medals on Thursday June 1,” she said.

    Ibiene urged the recipients to call the Secretary, National Honours Award Committee on the following contacts 0805938265, 08082182222 and 08034308817 for further enquiries  and clarification.

  • Why I was honoured with MON award – Teni

    Why I was honoured with MON award – Teni

    Nigerian singer and songwriter, Teniola Apata, popularly known as Teni The Entertainer has opened up on the Member of the Order of the Niger (MON) national honour bestowed on her by the President Muhammadu Buhari administration.

    TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports Teni to have said she was bestowed with the award for her “consistent and meaningful participation in community and national development rendering unsolicited, selfless and philanthropic services to humanity.

    Teni, while expressing gratitude to God, President Buhari and the national awards committee headed by Justice Sidi Bage Muhammad, a retired Justice of the Supreme Court, dedicated the MON award to young ladies.

    The singer wrote: “With honour and gratitude to God, it was indeed a joyous moment to receive a National Honor yesterday.

    “I was conferred MON (Member of the Order of the Niger) by His Excellency, Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR @muhammadubuhari President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the National Awards Committee headed by Justice Sidi Bage Muhammad, a retired Justice of the Supreme Court, the Emir of Lafia, after diligently going through over 5,000 submissions.

    “Special thanks to God for this, the Federal Government, my loved ones and to you all supporting me from day 1. This honor is for the entire family of Rt. Brigadier General Simeon Olaosebikan Apata (Ascend), My Father.

    “I was granted this award for “consistent and meaningful participation in community and/or national development; rendering unsolicited, selfless and philanthropic services to humanity; outstanding sacrifice in the defence of a cause popularly adjudged to be positive, relevant and beneficial to the nation and community.”

    “To the all the young girls this one is for you. Let’s not forget to stop dreaming. Nothing is impossible Back to the work that got me here. New music soon”.

  • Imam Abdullahi Abubakar: Befitting honour to a prophet at home – By Dr Ibietan

    Imam Abdullahi Abubakar: Befitting honour to a prophet at home – By Dr Ibietan

    By Dr Omoniyi Ibietan

    The conferment of a national honour of Member of the Order of the Federal Republic (MFR), on Imam Abdullahi Abubakar, is not just deserved, it is the finest statement President Buhari has made on religious freedom in our polity. The act also repudiates, even if momentarily, the dictum that a prophet has no honour in his homeland.

    I am not particularly concerned about some of the issues that attended the ceremony itself. For instance, the exhibition of disrespect, incivility, and a display of counterculture by a very few of the recipients; or whether some of the recipients are even deserving – indeed, some may not be deserving, and the fact that they scaled through the screening process has caused some citizens to express concerns.

    I know it is not a piece of cake to reduce over 5,000 applications to 450. I commend His Highness, the Emir of Lafia, Sidi Bage, Muhammad I, (Justice Sidi Bage, JSC, as he then was), who headed the National Awards Committee. He must have done his best to ensure justice. He has dispensed justice in the past. He, it was, whom as a High Court Judge in Abuja in 1992, gave the first judgement in a case involving me and my comrades and our school (Niyi Ibietan & 44 Ors Vs University of Abuja and 2 Ors), invalidating our expulsion and directing the University authorities to reinstate us. By so doing, he made a judicial validation of the Constitutional right to associations.

    My interest, as I had hinted, is the honour done to Imam Abubakar. Though it is coming late, it is better late than never, because of its implication, not just for religious freedom but for social cohesion in Nigeria. It saddens me that we are just giving a befitting recognition for a heroic act, a feat for which the United States Government already awarded Imam Abubakar, the International Religious Freedom Award (IRFA) on July 18, 2019. It is a paradox that it took three years after foreign recognition for the cleric to get a befitting national honour in his own country. A specially convened national merit award session for Abubakar’s sake in the same year he performed that feat at a risk to his life would not amount to a big offering from a society where religious extremism has sadly become a menacing fault line.

    Imam Abubakar, the leading cleric of Akwatti Mosque in Nghar, a community in Barkin Ladi Local Government Area of Plateau State, opened the Mosque he leads and his house as refuge to 262 Christians fleeing Islamist gunmen who invaded the village and had already killed 84 people but seeking more bloodletting. It was reported that the gunmen got to Abubakar’s abode and ordered him to release those in his house and the Mosque for immolation, but he refused and asked to be killed in their stead when the gunmen resisted all entreaties. His action saved all those who ran to him, others were not as lucky.

    Abubakar gave pragmatic fillip to the underlying principles of the Consequential Ethical Theory as much as he did to Ethical Kantianism. In order words, he proved that the value of an action, whether ultimately good or bad, is to be measured by the result (Consequentialism). Equally, the cleric proved that “an action is morally acceptable if the principle behind it is the duty to the moral law…, that the actor must set before itself not only a principle but also an end”. Finally, Abubakar gave empirical expression to that which seems an abstraction, that is, the social actor’s obligation to be a stickler to ‘categorical imperative’ (an unconditional moral responsibility) largely independent of external influence but essentially driven by the inherent rationality.

    Imam Abubakar, a Hausa, alongside his assistant, Umar Abdullahi, a Fulani, had reached a categorical level of acceptance and tolerance. To him, a Christian is inseparable from the collective humanity. The community of humans, as far Abubakar is concerned, is incomplete if stripped of its sectarian diversity. He already saw in his neighbours the inherent beauty of God and committed himself to the ideals of inviolability of life, demonstrating that under no circumstance will life be taking unjustifiably under his watch, and God be with him, he saved lives on June 23, 2018, in what had become Nigeria’s signpost, a painful trending orgy of faith-based pogroms that rocked the Plateau, other parts of the country and seized Nigeria by the jugular. The carnages made many citizens to question our humanity, and the fabric of our social cohesion was weakened. We are yet to recover.

    Just last week, the country was greeted to a scary report of the 2022 Social Cohesion Survey, facilitated by the African Polling Institute (API). It was damning. Nigeria’s social cohesion index was 39.6 percent, a 4.6 percent decline from the 2021 findings, and certainly farther from the global threshold of 50 percent. Religious difference was identified as one of the major sources of conflicts, and as Imam had demonstrated, religious leaders were rated far above the government as a central social agency that gave the people succour to cope with conflicts and their fallouts. We are so polarised, the report asserted, and of the three identified causes of polarisation, religion constituted 57 percent.

    In a panel discussion which engaged Prof. Kingsley Moghalu’s keynote paper, as a member of the panel, I gave example of how some of the people I had worked with in the past demonstrated commitment to building social cohesion. I mentioned Frank Nweke Jr, whom I served as Special Media Advisor seventeen years ago. Nweke had five aides but only one is Igbo, Nweke’s ethnic nationality. I also mentioned Tony Ojobo, former Director of Public Affairs at NCC, who ensured that representations from the Department he oversaw, was always representative of Nigeria’s diversity.

    At the forum on October 6, 2022, I bemoaned elitist manipulations and mismanagement of our diversity and condemned situations where elected and appointed public officials appointed aides that are only of their ethnic nationality, region and faith. I recommended condemnation of such practices, and equally submitted that we should incentivise acts of social cohesiveness as demonstrated by citizens in whatever capacity.

    This is the context in which the honour bestowed on Imam Abubakar makes great, indelible meaning on me and I believe to all rational patriots too. It explains my continued love for those who consistently and sincerely show concrete, unequivocal commitment to oneness, tolerance, trust, fairness, worth and love for one another, what Manuel Castells called the ‘other’ humanity, in the second volume of his magnum opus trilogy, THE POWER OF IDENTITY. Nigerians need to accept, tolerate, and give due as well as fair recognition to each other, and particularly the ‘other’, for therein lies the promise of greatness in diversity.

     

    Dr Omoniyi Ibietan is Head of Media Relations at the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Abuja

  • I am committed to gender balance, broad inclusion of women, youths – Peter Obi

    I am committed to gender balance, broad inclusion of women, youths – Peter Obi

    Mr Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Labour Party, says he will be committed to high gender balance and broad inclusion of women and youths if elected.

    Obi, in a tweet on Tuesday, also congratulated former finance minister  Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala and Mrs Amina Mohammed for bagging national honours.

    “Today, the status of Nigerian women have been further accentuated with the recognition and bestowing on Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala and Amina Mohammed the very high national honours of GCON.

    “Such recognition attests to their respective contributions, service and role in nation-building. I salute both of them. I remain committed to a high gender balance and the broad inclusion of women and youths in my administration,” Obi said.

    He said that the unrelenting struggle for a new Nigeria was, among other reasons, the desire to build a better nation where the girl child would be protected, free and safe to live and thrive.

    According to him, educating the girl child is imperative and remains critical to transforming our nation and reducing gender inequality.

    “Regrettably, female school enrollment has remained poor in many parts of the country, with over 60 per cent of the out-of-school children in Nigeria being females.

    “We must, therefore, ensure that the girl child, no matter where she lives, has access to affordable and qualitative education.

    “I remain ever committed to building a more secured and productive Nigeria in which the girl child will freely explore and be empowered to live her life to the fullest, while contributing positively to the growth and development of the nation,” Obi said.

    He wished Nigerians a happy International Day of the Girl Child.

  • Buhari confers Islamic hero MFR award for hiding 262 Christians in Mosque during Plateau Attacks

    Buhari confers Islamic hero MFR award for hiding 262 Christians in Mosque during Plateau Attacks

    Imam Abdullahi Abubakar, the Islamic leader that hid over 262 Christians in his mosque from attacks in Yelwa Gindi Akwati village, in Plateau State, has been conferred the award of the Member of the Order of the Federal Republic, MFR, by President Muhammadu Buhari.

    Abubakar, 86, was nominated for the award for his heroic deed that saved the lives of those Christians during a crisis in the Plateau community.

    TheNewsGuru.com recalls that the Islamic leaderr hid 262 Christians in his mosque when suspected bandits attacked 10 communities in the Barkin Ladi LGA of the state in June 2018.

    President Buhari, In his speech, said: “He is a good example of religious tolerance we preach amongst Nigerians. I am excited that he is being honoured today with Member of the Order of the Federal Republic (MFR).

    Buhari also conferred National Honours on an airport cleaner, Ms. Josephine Agu, who returned $12,200 found in a toilet at Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos State, and a bank security guard, Ogbanago Muhammed Ibrahim, who found and returned $10,000.

    The event which took place on Tuesday, October 11 at International Conference Centre, Abuja, saw other notable Nigerians receive various categories of narional awards and medals of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Notable among them are Director General of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala; Deputy Secretary General of the United Nations Amina Muhammad; Senate President, Ahmad Lawan; Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Olukayode Ariwoola, and immediate past CJN, Ibrahim Tanko Muhammad. They received Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger, the second highest national honours award in the country.

    Buhari commended the National Awards Committee headed by a retired Justice of the Supreme Court and the Emir of Lafia, Sidi Bage Muhammad for a great and patriotic duty by diligently going through over 5,000 submissions and coming up with number of persons recommended for the awards.

    The president explained that the screening and selection of nominees for this year’s award, as always, followed established broad criteria, in accordance with the National Honours Act CAP.N43 of the Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004.

    “Citizens who contribute to national development deserve to be encouraged and appreciated. It is based on this premise that I reconstituted the National Honours Award Committee, Chaired by His Royal Highness, Justice Sidi Bage Muhammad I, JSC (Rtd), the Emir of Lafia, a distinguished retired Justice and other patriotic Nigerians as members to recommend suitable Nigerians and our friends for appropriate recognition.

    “The committee has done a patriotic duty by diligently going through over 5,000 submissions and coming up with these recommendations.

    “The patriotic Nigerians and our friends being honoured today, have distinguished themselves in various ways for the purpose of recreating a new Nigeria of our dreams through respect for the rule of law, image laundering, transparency and accountability in the management of scarce resources.

    “Equally, those in the private sector have also creditably discharged themselves in business, entertainment, hospitality, transportation and other forms of human endeavours to transform Nigeria,” Buhari stated.

    Speaking about the airport cleaner and bank security guard who were given award, the president said their attitude shows that despite the hard economic situation in Nigeria, there are still people with integrity.

    “Today, we celebrate their dignity and strong strength of character by conferring National Honours on them. They are a shining example to our younger generation. I congratulate all the recipients today who will be joining the league of Awardees. I appreciate the non-Nigerian recipients and assure all of you that this administration will continue to provide the enabling environment for you to undertake your lawful businesses to allow you sustain your efforts at contributing to the development of our nation, Nigeria,” Buhari added.

    He further stated that the honour is “not merely decorative” but a call to an “important part of our responsibility as citizens.

    “We must always endeavour to do our best for our country,” Buhari asserted.

  • I will hand over a Nigeria that is free from insecurity – Buhari

    I will hand over a Nigeria that is free from insecurity – Buhari

    President Muhammadu Buhari has conferred National Honours on 450 Nigerians and non-Nigerians, assuring that he will hand over a Nigeria that is free from insecurity to the next generation of leaders.

    The president, who stated this while conferring the awards on the recipients in Abuja on Tuesday, said the affected citizens had distinguished themselves in the service of the nation and humanity.

    According to him, citizens who contribute to national development deserve to be encouraged and appreciated.

    Buhari reiterated the determination of his administration to continue to root out all forms of banditry, criminality, terrorism and insurgency in the country.

    ”The National Honours are not merely decorative. They remind us of an important part of our responsibility as citizens.

    ”We must always endeavour to do our best for our country. We will continue to root out all forms of banditry, criminality, terrorism and insurgency in the land.

    ”As I stated earlier in my Independence address to the nation, I will hand over a Nigeria that is free from insecurity to the next generation of leaders.”

  • Buhari confers National Honours on 450 Nigerians, non-Nigerians

    Buhari confers National Honours on 450 Nigerians, non-Nigerians

    President Muhammadu Buhari has conferred National Honours on 450 Nigerians and non-Nigerians, assuring that he will hand over a Nigeria that is free from insecurity to the next generation of leaders.

    The president, who stated this while conferring the awards on the recipients in Abuja on Tuesday, said the affected citizens had distinguished themselves in the service of the nation and humanity.

    According to him, citizens who contribute to national development deserve to be encouraged and appreciated.

    Buhari reiterated the determination of his administration to continue to root out all forms of banditry, criminality, terrorism and insurgency in the country.

    ”The National Honours are not merely decorative. They remind us of an important part of our responsibility as citizens.

    ”We must always endeavour to do our best for our country. We will continue to root out all forms of banditry, criminality, terrorism and insurgency in the land.

    ”As I stated earlier in my Independence address to the nation, I will hand over a Nigeria that is free from insecurity to the next generation of leaders.”

    On the National awards, the president commended the National Awards Committee headed by Justice Sidi Muhammad,  a retired Justice of the Supreme Court and the Emir of Lafia.

    He lauded the committee for a great and patriotic duty in diligently going through over 5,000 submissions and coming up with these recommendations.

    The president noted that the screening and selection of nominees for this year’s award as always, followed established broad criteria, in accordance with the National Honours Act CAP.N43 of the Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004.

    They include but not limited to: ‘‘consistent and meaningful participation in community and/or national development; rendering unsolicited, selfless and philanthropic services to humanity;

    ”Outstanding sacrifice in the defence of a cause popularly adjudged to be positive, relevant and beneficial to the nation and community.’’

    Other criteria listed by the President for selecting the recipients are:

    ‘‘Distinct act of bravery in the protection and/or defence of national interest, public peace, safety of life and property.

    ‘‘Remarkable achievement in any field of expertise where the person’s activities in that field have made significant contributions to the attainment of national goals and objectives.

    ‘‘Immense contributions towards the uplift of community, state, nation and/or humanity through achievements by way of inventions and bringing outstanding honour and glory to the state through personal dedication and patriotic commitment.

    ”Service with integrity is also a basis for the selection process.’’

    While emphasising that nation building involves a lot of sacrifice by the citizenry, the president declared that citizens who contributed to national development deserved to be encouraged and appreciated.

    He, therefore, lauded the 2022 National Award recipients for distinguishing themselves in various ways ‘‘for the purpose of recreating a new Nigeria of our dreams through respect for the rule of law, image laundering, transparency and accountability in management of scarce resources.’’

    The president added that those in the private sector had also creditably discharged themselves in business, entertainment, hospitality, transportation and other forms of human endeavours to transform Nigeria.

    ‘‘We have amongst the recipients today, Amb. Prof. Tijjani Muhammad-Bande, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo Iweala, Ms. Amina J. Mohammed and Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, who are doing our country proud on the international scene.

    ”Our dear sisters are a source of inspiration to our young women that through the dint of hard work and dedication, they can achieve greatness.

    ‘‘We also have on the list, Imam Abdullahi Abubakar, a religious leader who hid over 262 Christians in his mosque from attacks in Yelwa Gindi Akwati village, in Plateau State.

    ”He is a good example of religious tolerance we preach amongst Nigerians. I am excited that he is being honoured today with Member of the Order of the Federal Republic (MFR).

    ‘‘Worthy of mention are our Artistes, particularly, our very own Damini Ebunoluwa Ogulu (Burna Boy), who won the Grammy Awards in 2020.

    ”He along with other artistes have repositioned the Nigerian entertainment industry and placed it on the global map.

    ”At the just concluded Dubai Expo 2020, Nigeria’s pavilion was a beehive of activities as our musicians entertained guests from around the world.

    ‘‘Despite the present economic challenges, Nigeria still boasts of men and women of integrity.

    ” Ms. Josephine Agu, an airport cleaner returned $12,200 US dollars found in a toilet at Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Lagos as well as Ogbanago Muhammed Ibrahim, a bank security man who found and returned $10,000 dollars.

    ‘‘Today, we celebrate their dignity and strength of character by conferring National Honours on them.”

    According to the president, they are a shining example to the younger generation.

    ‘‘I congratulate all the recipients today who will be joining the league of Awardees.

    ‘‘I appreciate the non-Nigerian recipients and assure all of you that this administration will continue to provide the enabling environment for you to undertake your lawful businesses to allow you to sustain your efforts at contributing to the development of our nation, Nigeria,’’ he said.

    The president acknowledged that the list of awardees was justifiably long because the exercise had not been carried out since 2015.

    According to him, since the inception of this administration, there has not been such occasion like this where individuals and friends of Nigeria have been so singled out for investiture except for the Special Investiture Ceremony in honour of Chief MKO Abiola, Alhaji Baba Gana Kingibe and Chief Gani Fawehinmi, SAN.

    He noted that the Investiture Ceremony for Abiola and others was specially carried out to right the wrong done in the past, ”to assuage our feelings and to resolve to stand firm now and in the future for the sanctity of the electoral process and our democracy.”

    In like manner, he said, the country’s athletes were also honoured recently for their spectacular performances in several competitions.

    He appealed to other Nigerians who are yet to receive this recognition to be patient and understand that their efforts in nation building are appreciated and at the right time, would similarly be recognized.

    ‘‘This administration will continue to partner with Nigerians and friends of Nigeria with like minds in our efforts to build the Nigeria of our dreams where everybody will strive to excel in their chosen fields devoid of parochial sentiments,’’ he said.

    Buhari also reminded the recipients and other Nigerians that National Honours ”are not merely decorative.”

    ‘‘They remind us of an important part of our responsibility as citizens. We must always endeavour to do our best for our country.’’

    The award, which is in 10 categories, was presented to Supreme Court Justices, judges, top lawyers, incumbent and former governors, Ministers, traditional rulers, creative artistes, politicians, businessmen, athletes, security officers who died in the line of duty, and other distinguished Nigerians.

    A total of six persons were conferred with GCON, 55 received Commander of the Order of the Federal Republic (CFR), 65 got the Commander of the Order of Niger (CON) while 77 were presented with the Officer of the Order of the Federal Republic (OFR).

    The president also conferred 110 citizens with the Officer of the Order of the Niger (OON); 74 were presented with Member of the Order of the Federal Republic (MFR) and 55 received Member of the Order of the Niger (MON).

    There were four recipients each for the Federal Republic Medal I (FRM I) and Federal Republic Medal II (FRM II) Second Class) respectively.

    The seven foreigners honoured received the OFR Award.

    Speaking on behalf of the Awardees, the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, thanked the President for the honour, pledging that the award is an encouragement to more work and a call to duty to serve Nigeria with renewed strength, loyalty and honesty.

    Leading the 2022 National Honours Award recipients, in the category of Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger (GCON) are Senate President, Lawan, Acting Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Olukayode Ariwoola, immediate past CJN, Justice Ibrahim Tanko Muhammad.

    Others are; the Director-General, World Trade Organisation (WTO), Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Deputy Secretary-General of UN, Amina Mohammed and Nigeria’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Prof Tijjani Muhammad-Bande.

  • Lagos senator, Solomon Adeola bags national honours

    Lagos senator, Solomon Adeola bags national honours

    Sen. Solomon Adeola (APC- Lagos) and Chairman, Senate Committee on Finance, has been honoured with the award of Commander of the Order of Niger(CON) by the Federal Government.

    Chief Kayode Odunaro, his Media Adviser, said this in a statement in Abuja on Wednesday saying that the letter conveying the award with Ref. No. FMSDIGA/NHA/001/T/85 was dated Sept 16.

    According to Odunaro, the letter was signed by Sen. George Akume, the Minister for Special Duties and Inter-Governmental Affairs.

    He said ceremony for conferment of the award was scheduled for Oct 11.

    Adeola is a Fellow, Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria, fellow of the Chartered Institute of Taxation and graduate of Federal Polytechnic, Ilaro.

    Adeola, who has been a parliamentarian for over 19 years, was a two- term state legislator, one term member of the House of Representatives and currently in the 9th Senate.

  • President Buhari rewards Athletes with national honours, N200m

    President Buhari rewards Athletes with national honours, N200m

    President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday approved National Honours and N200 million cash rewards  for Team Nigeria contingents to the 2022 Commonwealth Games and World Athletics championships.

    The team was rewarded for their impressive performance at the Birmingham commonwealth games.

    Tobi Amusan and Ese Brume  were conferred with national honours, the Officer of the Order of the Niger (OON)

    Congratulating all the awardees and recipients, he expressed confidence that this will spur them to greater heights and ginger them and the upcoming ones to do more.

    The President who described the athletes as champions, worthy ambassadors, national heroes and heroines, heaped praises on them for proudly flying the Nigerian flag in nine sporting events.

    ”I watched with millions of Nigerians those exciting moments when you all brought smiles to us and our homes by breaking world, national and games records, as well as achieving personal best in your careers.

    ”Your outstanding performances in recent times are consistent with the determination of a nation always yearning for excellent performance.

    ”You all, members of Team Nigeria have ignited the spirit for victory in our nation but even more, you have been victorious in major sporting championships and games.

    ”I have followed keenly your achievements at the World Championships in Oregon USA and indeed your remarkable performance at the recently concluded Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, United Kingdom.

    ”And I am very pleased that you displayed at both the personal and group levels great sporting talents and delivered for your country great podium performances,” he said.

    The President told the athletes that their hour of sporting glory beamed the ‘‘radar of the world on Nigeria.

    ”Twelve times the world stood still as our green, white green national flag was hoisted and the National Anthem recited. Thirty-five times we made it to the podium. You all Team Nigeria made that possible.

    ”You brought glory and honour to our country. And today, on behalf of the nation- I say, THANK YOU!”

    President Buhari called out the names of the gold winners and other medal winners including the world champion in the 100m hurdles, Tobiloba Amusan, Ese Brume, Blessing Oborodudu , Oluwafemiayo Folashade, Taiwo Liadi, Ikechukwu Obichukwu, Bose Omolayo, Favour Ofili, Nasiru Sule, Ifechukwude Ikpeoyi, Ebikewenimo Welson, Hannah Rueben and Elizabeth Oshoba.
    The president appealed to private individuals and corporate organisations to support government’s investment in sports.
    He added that sports is no longer seen as just recreational activity but now seen as a business in line with modern global practice.