Nigerian National Honours are a set of orders and decorations conferred upon Nigerians and friends of

Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...

every year. They were instituted by the National Honors Act No. 5 of 1964, during the

First Nigerian Republic The First Republic was the republican government of Nigeria between 1963 and 1966 governed by the first republican constitution. The country's government was based on a federal form of the Westminster system. The period between 1 October 1960, ...

, to honour Nigerians who have rendered service to the benefit of the nation. These honours are distinct from the honours that are part of the country's ancient chieftaincy system, which is a separate (but also legally defined) entity. National Honours are the highest honours or awards that a citizen can receive from his or her country for service to the country.

Introduction

Service to country is when one has done something very good for the country or that makes the country proud. For example, a citizen may receive a national honour for inventing something useful to other citizens, for performing well in an important job, or for writing a brilliant book. The Nigerian government decides which citizens get honours. Everyone may not always agree on who deserves national honours. Sometimes the person receiving the honour may decide that he or she does not want it. In 2004, the famous Nigerian author,

Chinua Achebe Chinua Achebe (; 16 November 1930 – 21 March 2013) was a Nigerian novelist, poet, and critic who is regarded as the dominant figure of modern African literature. His first novel and ''magnum opus'', ''Things Fall Apart'' (1958), occupies ...

, was awarded a national honour by the Nigerian government but rejected it because he was disappointed with the way the government was ruling Nigeria at the time.

Honours

The Nigerian National Honours, in descending order of importance, are:

Order of the Federal Republic

* Grand Commander of the

Order of the Federal Republic The Order of the Federal Republic (OFR) is one of two orders of merit, established by the Federal Republic of Nigeria in 1963. It is senior to the Order of the Niger. The highest honours where the Grand Commander in the Order of the Federal Re ...

(GCFR) * Commander of the Order of the Federal Republic (CFR) * Officer of the Order of the Federal Republic (OFR) * Member of the Order of the Federal Republic (MFR)

Order of the Niger

* Grand Commander of the

Order of the Niger Nigeria became an independent country on 1 October 1960 and in 1963 became the Federal Republic of Nigeria. The republic instituted two orders of merit: the Order of the Niger and the Order of the Federal Republic. Award The two highest honou ...

(GCON) * Commander of the Order of the Niger (CON) * Officer of the

(OON) * Member of the Order of the Niger (MON) The GCFR and GCON are customarily respectively bestowed on former occupants of the office of

President of Nigeria The president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria is the head of state and head of government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the Niger ...

and

Vice President A vice president, also director in British English, is an officer in government or business who is below the president (chief executive officer) in rank. It can also refer to executive vice presidents, signifying that the vice president is on t ...

of Nigeria including former military heads of state of Nigeria and Chiefs of General Staff. The GCON is also customarily bestowed on the

Chief Justice of Nigeria The Chief Justice of Nigeria or CJN is the head of the judicial arm of the government of Nigeria, and presides over the country's Supreme Court and the National Judicial Council. The current Chief Justice is Olukayode Ariwoola who was appo ...

and the President of the

Nigerian Senate The Senate is the upper chamber of Nigeria's bicameral legislature, the National Assembly of Nigeria. The National Assembly (popularly referred to as NASS) is the nation's highest legislature, whose power is to make laws, is summarized in chapt ...

during their first year in office, while the CON is customarily bestowed on Justices of the

Supreme Court of Nigeria The Supreme Court of Nigeria (SCN) is the highest court in Nigeria, and is located in the Central District, Abuja, in what is known as the Three Arms Zone, so called due to the proximity of the offices of the Presidential Complex, the National Ass ...

Medals

* Forces Service Star (FSS) * Grand Service Star (GSS) * Distinguished Service Star (DSS) * Meritorious Service Star (MSS) * Command Medal of Honour (CMH) * Command Medal (CM)

References

External links

Orders, Decorations and Medals of the Republic of Nigeria - Ribbon Chart

Nigeria National Merit Award
- Presidency of Nigeria. Retrieved 18 August 2016.

Nigeria: National Honours Awards 2010 and 2011
''Economic Confidential''. Retrieved 18 August 2016. {{Decorations by country Nigeria and the Commonwealth of Nations Nigerian awards National symbols of Nigeria