The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) criticized President Bola Tinubu on Sunday for awarding the Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger, Nigeria’s second-highest national honor, to visiting Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. PDP Deputy National Youth Leader Timothy Osadolor labeled the gesture a misplaced priority.
In response, Nze Chidi Duru, Deputy National Organising Secretary of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), defended the President, stating that his actions were not unprecedented. The criticism from the PDP followed Tinubu’s conferral of the honor during a Nigeria-India bilateral meeting at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.
Tinubu stated that the award of the Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger to Indian Prime Minister was a gesture of appreciation for the strong partnership and bilateral relationship between Nigeria and India.
He said, “Nigeria values its excellent relationship with India. We work to deepen and broaden the same to the mutual benefit of our two friendly countries. You have been doing a good job historically. Winning three consecutive elections in a complex society is a feat that we respect so much.
“I will confer on you today, the Prime Minister of India, Nigeria’s national honour, the Grand Commander of the Order of Niger. This to signify Nigerian appreciation and commitment to India as a partner,” Tinubu said.
During his visit to Nigeria, Modi expressed condolences over the recent floods that have devastated several Nigerian cities, including Maiduguri in Borno State. Modi pledged to provide 20 tonnes of relief materials to assist those affected by the disaster.
”We had a very productive discussion with President Tinubu. We talked about adding momentum to our strategic partnership. There is immense scope for ties to flourish even further in sectors like defence, energy, technology, trade, health, education and more,” Modi said.
However, the PDP expressed disappointment in Tinubu, for awarding the second-highest national honor to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, questioning the decision as based solely on friendship. A member of the PDP National Working Committee emphasized that while the President has the right to confer honors, there should be clear criteria demonstrating why recipients deserve such recognition.
“It is not something you dish out for the sake of friendship and all of that. I don’t know what the Indian Prime Minister has done to have warranted such an honour. But this is the second highest honour in the land. It is a misplacement of priorities.
“I would have thought that the President should have asked the Indian Prime Minister how the Indian economy has been able to move away from being the poverty capital of the world to being one of the fastest growing economies in the world now. The biggest tech moguls across the globe at the moment are all Indians.
“Just look at Microsoft, the Silicon Valley in America and startups. They are all being run and set up by Indians. I would have thought that Tinubu, in a bid to shore up the lacuna his cabinet lacks, would have been humble enough to ask the Prime Minister to offer him a clue as to how to help his government and Nigerians. Not dishing out unnecessary awards that the man doesn’t need other than for pictures and commentary,” he said.
