National Assembly Cautioned Against Proposed Bill To Merge Merit, Honours Awards

By Augustine Aminu

Laureates of the prestigious Nigerian National Order of Merit (NNOM) have formally rejected a proposed bill currently before the National Assembly that seeks to merge the Nigerian National Merit Award (NNMA) with the National Honours system.

In a strongly-worded letter to the House of Representatives through the Committee on Inter-Governmental Affairs, the NNOM Laureates raised serious concerns about the proposed “Honours and Merit Award Commission Bill, 2023” (HB.05), which seeks to repeal the existing Acts governing both the National Honours and the NNMA, and create a single commission to oversee all award-related matters in the country.

The letter, signed by Distinguished Professor Hilary I. Inyang, NNOM (Chair) and Emeritus Professor Samuel C. Ohaegbulam, NNOM (Co-Chair), outlines the collective stance of the Laureates following a stakeholders meeting held on March 26, 2025, at the NNMA Secretariat in Abuja.

According to the letter, all participating NNOM Laureates at the meeting unanimously rejected the merger.

The NNOM Laureates argue that the two award systems, National Honours and National Merit Awards, are fundamentally different in purpose, process, and credibility.

They warn that merging the two would dilute the integrity of the merit-based NNOM, which is Nigeria’s highest national honour for intellectual and academic achievement.

“Merits have honours, but not all honours have merits,” said Prof. Oyewole Tomori, NNOM, one of Nigeria’s leading virologists, who criticized the proposed structure of a unified board composed along geopolitical lines. “This undermines the merit-based foundation on which the NNOM stands,” he added.

Other laureates echoed similar sentiments. Prof. Omowunmi A. Sadik emphasized that the NNOM should retain its independence and uniqueness, while Prof. Anya O. Anya warned that the proposed merger risks politicizing the NNOM, which has remained one of the few non-political institutions recognizing intellectual excellence in Nigeria.

Renowned artist Bruce Onobrakpeya, also an NNOM recipient, cautioned against compromising the rigorous selection and presentation processes that define the NNOM. “The question we must ask is whether this move is financially motivated,” he said.

Poet and scholar Prof. Tanure Ojaide stressed that “Honours can be bought, but Merit cannot,” underscoring that NNOM recipients undergo stringent peer-reviewed assessments, unlike the National Honours, which are often influenced by political considerations.

The letter also raised procedural concerns about the bill, questioning its origins, the intent behind its timing, and whether it is an Executive Bill. “This is not just a fight for the Laureates, but for all well-meaning Nigerians who value excellence and intellectualism,” said Prof. Ohaegbulam.

According to the Laureates, the National Honours awards, administered by the Ministry of Special Duties and Inter-Governmental Affairs—serve a different societal function and should not be conflated with the NNOM, which is managed by the NNMA under strict statutory and meritocratic criteria.

The Laureates called for urgent dialogue with the Presidency to prevent what they describe as a potential erosion of academic and intellectual standards in the country.