By Abiola Olawale
Peter Obi, the Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, has sharply criticized the Federal Government for its practice of conferring GCFR, GCON prestigious national honours on politicians, urging a shift toward recognizing entrepreneurs and productive citizens.
Speaking in Abuja, Obi called for a reform of Nigeria’s national honours system to better reflect contributions to national development.
Obi specifically targeted the Grand Commander of the Federal Republic (GCFR) and Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger (GCON) awards, arguing they should be reserved for individuals driving economic and social progress, not political figures.
He said: “The Grand Commander of the Federal Republic, GCFR, and Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger, GCON, should be for entrepreneurs and productive people, not politicians.
“We have to change the way we honour people.
“We live in a country where we celebrate people who are supposed not to be celebrated. If we did, the celebration we are giving him today would have been more.”
