Tinubu Approves 959 National Honours, Okays Police Funding Reforms
President Bola Tinubu has approved the conferment of 959 national honours and endorsed major reforms to strengthen the funding framework of the Nigeria Police Force.
The approvals followed marathon meetings of the National Council of State and the Nigeria Police Council held Thursday at the State House, Abuja.
Briefing reporters after the meetings, the Permanent Secretary of the Cabinet Affairs Office, Dr. Emanso Umobong, said Tinubu ratified the report of the National Honours Award Committee for 2024 and 2025, along with special awards already conferred between January 2025 and now.
Umobong said the 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 awards and 135 special honorees — bringing the total to 959.
She noted that the awards recognize citizens and non-nationals who have distinguished themselves in public service, humanitarian work, and national development. Among those recently honoured were philanthropist Bill Gates for contributions to public health, journalist Uncle Sam Pemu for media excellence, the Super Falcons and D’Tigress for achievements in sports, and Professor Mahmood Yakubu, the outgoing INEC chairman, for service to Nigeria’s democracy. Posthumous honours were also conferred on the Ogoni Nine and Ogoni Four for their roles in environmental activism.
The updated list of honorees will be published soon, Umobong said.
At the Police Council session, Tinubu and council members approved key reforms to the Nigeria Police Trust Fund (NPTF), including plans to repeal and re-enact the 2019 Police Trust Fund Establishment Act.
Minister of Police Affairs Ibrahim Geidam said the council resolved to remove the six-year “sunset clause” that limits the lifespan of the Fund and to convert it into a permanent agency.
He added that the council also approved an upward review of the NPTF’s funding from 0.5 percent to 1 percent of the Federation Account. The Attorney-General of the Federation was directed to incorporate all resolutions into an executive bill for transmission to the National Assembly.
Created in 2019, the Police Trust Fund supports training, welfare, and logistics for the force, but its limited tenure and resources have long constrained reform efforts, Geidam said.
“All these prayers have been approved without any omission,” he confirmed.