By ABDULKABIR MUHAMMED

A coalition of workers and youth groups has expressed dissatisfaction with a proposed bill by the House of Representatives to merge the Nigerian National Merit Award (NNMA) with the National Honour Award. The group, Workers and Youth Solidarity Network (WYSN), in a statement signed by its national secretary, Comrade Iortyom Douglass Moses, on May 23, 2025, decried the merger, citing merit and integrity issues.

The Workers and Youth Solidarity Network reiterated the impact of academic excellence on national development, and cautioned that merging the Nigerian National

Merit Award (an academic award) with the National Honour Award undermines the award?s integrity.

?We, the coalitions of workers and youth organisations in Nigeria, are compelled to

address the recent decision by the Federal Government to merge the Nigerian National

Merit Award (NNMA) with the National Honour Award. We strongly oppose this merger

and urge the government to reconsider its decision

?The NNMA is a prestigious award that recognises and rewards academic and intellectual

excellence in Nigeria. It has been a beacon of hope for many scholars and researchers,

motivating them to strive for excellence in their fields. Merging it with the National

Honour Award, which has a broader focus, would dilute the focus on academic

excellence and undermine the integrity of the award,? said the group.

They further argue that ?the Award is usually conferred on worthy

Nigerian innovators, inventors and other creative intellectuals both at home and in the

Diaspora who has contributed significantly to the country?s growth and development.

?The NNOM Award is an order of dignity separate and distinct from the National

Honours, which its making is premised on the uniqueness of the work of each awardee,

through a blind assessment process conducted by established experts in specific fields

categorized into four; namely: Science, Medicine, Engineering/Technology, and

Humanities including Arts and Culture and any other field of human endeavor,? it added.

The Workers and Youth Solidarity Network expresses fear that the merger might water down and politicise the usually ?blind assessment? award process. It says:

?We are concerned that this merger would lead to give a lower profile of the award

process, where awards are given based on partisan considerations rather than merit. This

would undermine the credibility of the awards and discourage future generations of

scholars and researchers.

They also seek cooperation with trade unions to stop the approval of the bill.

?We also use this medium to call on Nigerian Labour centres, the Nigeria Labour

Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC), to stop this attempt to merge the

two organisations with different focus.?