The House of Representatives has passed a resolution urging President Buhari to confer on Mr Allen Onyema, Chairman of Nigeria’s Air Peace, a national honour after his airline evacuated willing Nigerians out from South Africa at no cost on 11th and 18th September 2019. Mr. Onyema’s offer came after riots and looting targeting shops owned by Nigerian businesses and other African Nationals in South Africa broke out in Jeppestown and Johannesburg CBD on September 1, 2019. According to the Speaker, Rt. Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, who addressed Mr. Onyema at a special session of the House on Wednesday, 18th September 2019, five hundred and two (502) Nigerians have benefitted from the patriotic gesture.
Subsisting legislation governing the conferring of awards include section 1(4) of the National Honours Act, 1963 which gives power to the President to make awards and Section 1 of the Honours Warrant, 1974 which establishes two Orders of Dignity known as the Order of the Federal Republic and the Order of the Niger respectively. Both Orders consist of four ranks with the first and highest rank being that of Grand Commander, the second, Commander, the third, Officer and the fourth a Member of the Order.