President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has approved the conferment of 959 national honours. The approvals came on Thursday as the President presided over meeting of the National Council of State at the State House, Abuja.
Speaking to journalists after the meetings, the Permanent Secretary, Cabinet Affairs Office, Dr. Emanso Umobong, said the President ratified the report of the National Honours Award Committee for 2024 and 2025, as well as special awards earlier bestowed by the President between January 2025 and October 2025.
According to Umobong, the current honours committee—reconstituted in August 2021 and chaired by Justice Sidi Bage—screened more than 5,000 applications before recommending 824 recipients for the 2024/2025 National Honours and 135 special awardees, bringing the total to 959 honourees.
“The award of titles of honour and decorations of dignitaries is a yearly event at which the President honours deserving nationals and non-nationals who have distinguished themselves in the service of the nation and humanity,” Umobong said.
She added that President Tinubu, in the spirit of inclusive national recognition, had already honoured several distinguished Nigerians and friends of Nigeria over the past year.
Those recognised include Bill Gates for contributions to public health, Uncle Sam Pemu for journalism excellence, and Nigeria’s national women’s teams — the Super Falcons and D’Tigress — for outstanding performance in sports.
Also honoured posthumously were the Ogoni Nine and Ogoni Four for their environmental activism, while Professor Mahmood Yakubu, the outgoing INEC Chairman, was recognised for his service to Nigeria’s democratic process.
Umobong said the updated list of awardees would be published in the coming days.
