Labaran Maku, a former Minister of Information and ex-Supervising Minister of Defence, has been awarded the Officer of the Order of the Niger (OON) by Tinubu—11 years after receiving the higher-ranking Commander of the Order of the Niger (CON) honor under Goodluck Jonathan.
This latest development is already raising questions about the credibility and consistency of the national honors process, with observers describing it as a case of “national demotion.”
Maku was first decorated with the CON in 2014 while serving in Jonathan’s cabinet. At the time, he was preparing to contest the governorship seat in Nasarawa State. He told journalists after receiving the award that “the honor would help the state” if he emerged as governor.
The CON title is Nigeria’s fourth-highest honor, only below GCFR, GCON, and CFR. It is typically reserved for individuals holding high-level public office or those who have demonstrated extraordinary national service.
This year, however, Maku’s name appeared on the list of recipients for the OON, two grades below the CON. By standard ranking, the OON sits as the sixth most prestigious national honor and is mainly granted to civilians who’ve made significant contributions outside public office.
According to the 1964 National Honours Act, a recipient who is promoted to a higher rank automatically relinquishes the former. However, the law does not expressly clarify what happens when a lower award is issued to someone who already holds a superior one.
The act provides that “a person appointed to any rank of an order shall cease to hold any lower rank of the same order… and deliver up any such insignia to or in accordance with the direction of the Secretary to the Federal Government.”
That clause, however, only applies to promotions, not demotions.
The lack of consistency is not unique to Maku. Just days ago, Tinubu also conferred the CFR on Professor Bolaji Akinyemi, a title he had already received back in 2011. This duplication further highlights growing concerns over the administration’s disregard for proper record-keeping and institutional memory.
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