Helping the President keep faith with his word

The late Awujale of Ijebuland, Oba Sikiru Kayode Adetona, was a towering figure in Nigeria’s traditional institution. A monarch whose decades-long reign embodied continuity, dignity, and courageous service. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s admiration and respect for the revered king were well known. When Vice President Kashim Shettima announced at kabiyesi’s 90th birthday celebration on May 10, 2024 that the President had decided to confer the national honour of GCON on Kabiyesi, it was historic, the very first time a traditional ruler was awarded the second highest national honour. Sadly, by the time Kabiyesi Sikiru Kayode Adetona, Ogbagba II joined his ancestors on July 13, 2025, the historic award was yet to be presented and the investiture yet to be done. President Tinubu’s respect for Kabiyesi remained evident through his physical presence with the First Lady at the 7th day fidau prayers on July 20, 2025 in Ijebu Ode.

This is not an isolated incident. It is, regrettably, part of a troubling institutional pattern: national honours announced repeatedly, but left unpresented and without investiture.

One of the most solemn instruments of state authority worldwide is the system of national honours. It exists not merely to praise, but to preserve memory, confer legitimacy, and signal what a nation values. The honour is not completed at announcement. It is completed only through formal investiture, which gives the recognition legal force, ceremonial dignity, and historical finality.

In recent years, particularly under President Tinubu, Nigeria has witnessed an expanded use of national honours, reflecting an admirable willingness to recognise service across politics, the judiciary, culture, academia, diplomacy, sports, and national development. Yet alongside this broad recognition, has emerged a concerning gap between announcement and actualisation.

In his October 1, 2024 Independence Day broadcast, President Tinubu announced national honours for the leadership of the other two arms of government. The Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Kudirat Motonmori Kekere-Ekun, was conferred the Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger (GCON). Senate President Senator Godswill Akpabio and Speaker of the House of Representatives Rt Hon Abbas Tajudeen PHD were also conferred with the GCON, while the deputy senate president and deputy speaker received the CFR.

The symbolism was powerful, reinforcing constitutional balance and institutional respect. Yet months passed without formal investiture. What should have been a defining state ceremony quietly dissolved into administrative silence. The presentations and investitures remain outstanding over a year later.

On June 12, 2025, President Tinubu announced national honours in an address to the National Assembly for deserving people including late General Shehu Musa Yar’Adua rtd (GCFR), Professor Wole Soyinka (GCON), General Alani Akinrinade rtd (GCON), Col Abubakar Dangiwa Umar rtd (CFR), House leader Prof Julius Ihonvbere, Prof, Adebayo Williams and democracy activists, some posthumously. As 2025 ends, there has been no award presentation, no investiture.

The inconsistency becomes evident when contrasted with other instances. President Tinubu personally invested Bill Gates with the Commander of the Order of the Federal Republic in Lagos. Opinions may differ on the choice, but the process was clear, timely, and completed. The disparity raises questions not of intent but of institutional coordination and priority.

Beyond national honours, the pattern appears elsewhere. Barely five months after assuming office, President Tinubu recalled all Nigerian ambassadors. Nearly two years later, a list was forwarded to the National Assembly for confirmation, controversially including a deceased nominee. Even after ratification, many ambassadors remain undeployed, leaving Nigeria’s diplomatic presence thinner than needed.

The Super Falcons’ triumph at the African Cup in July 2025 was another defining moment. Our daughters made Nigeria proud on the continental stage. Promised honours were acknowledged publicly, yet beyond handshakes and photographs, no formal investiture has taken place. Sporting excellence deserves closure, not prolonged anticipation.

On October 9, 2025, following a National Council of States meeting, it was announced that 959 Nigerians had been approved for national honours. The Permanent Secretary of the Cabinet Office informed Nigerians that names would be released shortly. To date, neither publication nor investiture has followed. Nearly a thousand Nigerians wait in bureaucratic limbo, their recognition suspended between promise and fulfillment.

This situation is not best understood as presidential neglect. President Tinubu has demonstrated, time and again, genuine desire to honour Nigerians who have served with distinction. Rather, what we witness reflects deeper institutional weakness. A modern state does not function on personal memory alone. It relies on systems that remind, coordinate, schedule, and conclude. When announcements consistently outpace execution, the failure lies within the administrative machinery charged with supporting presidential intent.

National honours are not press releases. They are instruments of history. When left unresolved, they diminish recipients, weaken institutional credibility, and erode public confidence in governance. When a 90-year-old Nobel Laureate must wonder when his honour will be formalised, when traditional rulers pass away before receiving what was promised, when athletes who brought glory to the nation are left waiting, something fundamental has broken down.

The recipients are not asking for special favours. They are simply expecting the state to complete what it began. And Nigerians watching wonder: if the government cannot follow through on ceremonial recognitions, how can it be trusted with more complex undertakings?

If Nigerians truly wish to help President Tinubu succeed, the solution lies not in silence or ridicule, but in insistence on completion. Announcements should be matched with clear timelines. Investitures should be predictable, dignified, and prompt. The institutions supporting the presidency must remember on behalf of power, because that is their constitutional duty. Someone must keep the list, set the dates, prepare the certificates, arrange the venue, and ensure that what is promised is delivered.

This is not about ceremony for ceremony’s sake. It is about institutional integrity. It is about treating our elders, our achievers, and our patriots with the respect they have earned. It is about ensuring that the word of the Nigerian state, once given, is a bond that can be trusted.

The dignity of the Nigerian state is not measured by how often honours are proclaimed, but by how faithfully they are fulfilled. Completion, not proclamation, is what ultimately honours both the recipient and the Republic itself.

Muhammad Gombe a media practitioner resides in Abuja

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