President Muhammadu Buhari will this October, honour one Josephine Agu, an airport cleaner who returned $12,200 found in a toilet at MMIA, Lagos, and Ogbanago Ibrahim, a guard at a bank, who found and returned $10,000 in Kogi, with the Federal Recognitions Medal (FRM)
The president is also to confer on Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, the director-general of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), and four others, Nigeria’s second highest national honour of the Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger (GCON).
Others listed for this same award Ahmad Lawan, the president of the Senate; Olukayode Ariwoola, the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN); Tanko Muhammad, immediate past CJN, and Amina Mohammed, the deputy secretary-general of the United Nations (UN).
The award was first conferred on Aliko Dangote, (Africa’s richest man) in 2011 by former President Goodluck Jonathan, followed by Mike Adenuga, chairman of Globacom, Nigeria’s indigenous telecom company, in 2012.
BusinessDay gathered that the national awards would be presented by President Buhari on October 11, 2022, at the State House of the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
It was alsogathered that a total of 437 awardees have been nominated for this year’s national honour, across different categories.
President Buhari will also honour African business mogul and philanthropist, Tony Elumelu, with the 3rd most prestigious award of the Commander of the Order of the Federal Republic (CFR).
Legal practitioner Mike Ozekhome, a senior advocate of Nigeria, is among others listed for the award of the Commander of the Order of the Niger (CON)
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About 54 persons are to receive the Commander of the Order of the Federal Republic (CFR) awards, while 67 would be conferred with the Commander of the Order of the Niger (CON)
Officer of the Order of the Federal Republic (OFR) has 64 awardees, Officer of the Order of the Niger (OON), 101, Member of the Order of the Federal Republic (MFR) 75, Member of the Order of the Niger (MON) 56, and the Federal Republic Medal (FRM) has 8 award recipients.
Others who will receive the Commander of the Order of the Federal Republic (CFR), include Jim Ovia, Oluwole Olanipekun, a senior advocate of Nigeria, Abdul Samad Rabiu, the chairman of BUA Group, Azibapu Godbless and
Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila; Ovie Omo-Agege, deputy president of the Senate; Boss Mustapha, secretary to the government of the federation ( SGF); Folashade Yemi-Esan, head of service of the federation (HOS ); and former speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu DogaraLate former chief of staff to the president, Abba Kyari, and late former chief of army staff, Ibrahim Attahiru topped the list for the posthumous awards.
Others include former Nigeria international footballer, Rashidi Yekini; Muhammad Bello, Idris Abdulkadir, and Abdulrahman Kuliya, and former military officers who died serving the nation, who would also be conferred with posthumous awards.
They also include Olatunji Olayinka, Ibrahim Mohammed, Benedict Ajide, Mathew Oyedepo, L.A Hayat, Nura Hamza and Folarin Shyllon Posth, among others.
