President Bola Tinubu authorized the conferral of 959 national awards on Thursday, as well as measures to bolster the Nigeria Police Force’s financial mechanism.
The move occurred while he presided over lengthy meetings of the National Council of State and the Police Council at the State House in Abuja.
Dr. Emanso Umobong, Permanent Secretary of the Cabinet Affairs Office, told State House correspondents after the meetings that the President approved the report of the National Honours Award Committee for 2024 and 2025, as well as special awards bestowed by the President from January 2025 to the present.
According to Umobong, the current honors committee, which was formed in August 2021 and is chaired by Justice Sidi Bage, evaluated almost 5,000 applications before selecting 824 recipients for the 2024/2025 National Honors and 135 exceptional honorees, for a total of 959 honors.
“The award of titles of honor and decorations of dignitaries is a yearly event at which the President honors deserving nationals and non-nationals who have distinguished themselves in the service of the nation and humanity,” she said.
Umobong added, “After diligent screening and selection by the committee, a total of 824 successful applicants were recommended for the 2024/2025 National Honours and 135 special awards by the President, bringing it to a total of 959 awardees.”
She mentioned that Tinubu, in the spirit of inclusive national recognition, had already honored several distinguished Nigerians and friends of Nigeria in the past year, including Bill Gates, for contributions to public health; Uncle Sam Pemu for journalism; and the Super Falcons and D’Tigress for excellence in sports.
Others include the Ogoni Nine and Ogoni Four, honored posthumously for environmental activism, and Professor Mahmood Yakubu, the outgoing INEC Chairman, recognized for service to Nigeria’s democratic process.
Umobong said an updated list of recipients would be published soon.
Following the Council of State session, Tinubu presided over the Nigeria Police Council, which approved significant revisions to the Nigeria Police Trust Fund.
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In his first press briefing since taking office in August 2023, Minister of Police Affairs Ibrahim Geidam said that the Council has passed measures to repeal and re-enact the 2019 Police Trust Fund Establishment Act, removing its six-year limit and transforming it into a permanent institution.
“The sunset clause of six years in the current Act limits the lifespan of the Nigerian Police Trust Fund and impedes long-term planning, thereby constraining sustainable police reform.
“We also prayed that the Council approve the repeal and re-enactment of the Nigerian Police Transparency Establishment Act 2025 in order to remove the sunset clause and transition it into an agency,” Geidam said.
He added that the Council also approved increasing the Police Trust Fund’s allocation from 0.5% to 1% of the Federation Account, as well as directing the Attorney-General of the Federation to incorporate all resolutions into an executive bill for submission to the National Assembly.
The NPTF, which was established in 2019, was created to help police departments address financing gaps by supporting training, welfare, technology purchases, and logistics.
However, its short tenure and budget constraints have historically stifled long-term reform efforts.
“All these prayers have been approved without any omission,” Geidam confirmed, adding, “The Council also directed that the Honourable Attorney-General and Minister of Justice input all the approvals of the Council in the proposed Executive Bill.”
