The Head of State, Bassirou Diomaye FAYE, presided over the ceremony honoring dignitaries in the National Orders this Friday, December 20, 2024, in the banquet hall of the Presidential Palace.
This solemn moment provided President Faye, Grand Master of the National Orders, with the opportunity to exceptionally honor fifty-six (56) compatriots from the 2024 cohort who have distinguished themselves in their respective socio-professional categories. Among the recipients, some were elevated to the dignity of the National Order of the Lion, the highest distinction in the country, while others were elevated to the National Order of Merit.
Through their careers and their human and professional qualities, they embody the fundamental values of our Republic: excellence, dedication, loyalty, and civic responsibility. These men and women, from diverse backgrounds, have successfully combined personal ambition with service to the Nation, thereby offering inspiring role models to the youth.
The Presidency of the Republic extends its heartfelt congratulations to the recipients and thanks them for their exemplary conduct, which ensures strengthened national cohesion and a sovereign, just, and open Senegal.
See an excerpt from the address by the President of the Republic:
SPEECH BY HIS EXCELLENCY MR. BASSIROU DIOMAYE DIAKHAR FAYE,
GRAND MASTER OF THE NATIONAL ORDER OF THE LION
December 20, 2024 - Only the spoken word prevails
Mr. President of the National Assembly; Mr. Prime Minister; Ladies and Gentlemen Ministers; General of the Army Corps, Grand Chancellor of the National Order of the Lion; General of the Army Corps, Chief of General Staff of the Armed Forces; Major General, High Commander of the National Gendarmerie and Director of Military Justice; Major General, Inspector General of the Armed Forces; Vice Admiral, Chief of the President's Special Staff; Members of the Order Council; Distinguished Recipients; Honorable Guests, in your respective ranks, titles, and qualities.
It is with deep emotion and solemn gratitude that I speak for the first time as Grand Master of the National Orders, on this occasion that consecrates the highest virtues of our Republic. This solemn moment embodies the permanence of the ideals that unite our Nation and the recognition we owe to those who, through their talent, dedication, and sacrifices, honor its foundations.
Before honoring those who are distinguished today, I wish to pay a heartfelt tribute to the memory of the members of the Order Council and the deceased dignitaries. Through their exceptional contributions, they illuminated their era, and their names are forever engraved in the great book of our national history. Their moral and intellectual legacy remains a source of inspiration. I extend my most sincere condolences to their families and pray for their eternal rest!
We are gathered here to celebrate excellence, dedication, and selflessness. These values, embodied by men and women with remarkable careers, trace a path of loyalty, civic duty, and commitment, setting the foundations of exemplary citizenship. The National Orders, whose purpose goes far beyond a mere distinction, are vectors of recognition and transmission. They enlighten the collective conscience, highlight the foundations of our society, and carry a clear message: at the heart of the Republic, merit and virtue in the service of the Nation remain immutable landmarks.
The National Order of the Lion and the National Order of Merit cannot be reduced to honorary decorations. They embody the soul of the Republic, honoring exceptional citizens not only for their individual achievements but also for their ability to embody and transmit cardinal values such as civic duty, integrity, dedication, professional and moral excellence. This admission is not limited to recognizing your extraordinary careers: it attests to your belonging to a community of shared principles. It confirms a mutual commitment to serving the general interest, a call to combine personal ambition with the common good, to build a solid moral and social heritage.
Dear recipients, the entire Nation bows before your merits. You have been selected among many valiant compatriots to join the 2024 cohort of dignitaries. You, who have shown, throughout your existence, a keen sense of moral probity, enlightened intelligence, exemplary professional competence, availability, and unwavering dedication, are today recognized as major architects of our national edifice. Your efforts, sometimes made at the cost of significant sacrifices, reflect an unfailing commitment to the common good. You are an inspiration for the younger generations. Your success lights their path and reminds them that true greatness lies not only in talent but also in honesty, consistency, altruism, and loyalty to the ideals of the Republic.
Our society faces unprecedented challenges: technological changes, complex international issues, economic and social fragilities. In this context, your examples of perseverance and virtue are more necessary than ever. Your presence, actions, and morality, consolidated in the honor you receive today, strengthen the cohesion that unites us. You remind us that justice, solidarity, shared prosperity, and human dignity are not empty words, but concrete goals that require rigor, courage, and selflessness from everyone.
To our youth, I send a particular message. Look at these men and women. They have overcome obstacles, disregarded difficulties, never straying from the fundamental values that make a nation strong. In a world troubled by digital immediacy, rapid changes, and sometimes confused references, their example is a beacon. It shows you that diligent work, integrity, respect for others, and love for the homeland remain decisive keys to success. Far from the pitfalls that some media and social networks may foster, these personalities offer you a clear path: that of responsibility, justice, temperance, and active contribution to the future of your country.
To the dignitaries, I remind you that this distinction goes hand in hand with a renewed call for perseverance and exemplarity. You bear the responsibility of being guides, models, mentors. By embodying this noble requirement, you continue your mission of transmission, offering the national fabric a dense and luminous tapestry, imbued with meaning, value, and coherence. You remain unwavering beacons, inspiring each compatriot to rise above private interest, to embrace service to the community, to promote a strong republican ideal.
Admission into the national orders is a supreme honor, but above all, it is a pride to be borne with gravity. It aims to preserve the humanity of our social relations, exalt republican ideals, and guarantee the honor and dignity of those who are its bearers. These orders, imbued with the highest moral standards, weave a powerful link within the national community. They invite every citizen to recognize themselves in the grand narrative of the Nation and to carry higher the torch of the founding values of the Republic: liberty, responsibility, solidarity, and duty towards others.
Thus, members of the national orders do not merely share a motto. They resonate with a common ideal. Through their resolute commitment to the general interest, their dedication to the promotion of Senegal, they form a solidarity chain where each link strengthens the cohesion of our Nation. In this quest, their actions are neither isolated nor in vain: they add up, complement each other, and reinforce each other, shaping a community of destiny.
Ladies and Gentlemen, the recipients, The insignia you have just received are the visible emblem of the Republic's gratitude. Instituted to distinguish merits and reward exemplary services, these decorations bear witness to national recognition towards those who, in the most varied fields, have chosen to serve the country with rare generosity. You form a column of fifty-six (56) soldiers, guardians of a tradition of excellence, guaranteeing a social bond nurtured by well-done work, loyalty, honesty, and a passion for the common good.
Your journeys are as many lessons in life, as many models inviting youth and society as a whole to cultivate perseverance, honor the homeland, and transform personal ambition into a factor of collective progress. By elevating disinterested work to the rank of a priesthood, you forge the character of our Nation, consolidate its social fabric, and encourage sovereignty, justice, prosperity, and excellence as the foundation of our collective destiny.
Belonging to a national order is an exceptional privilege, imposing moral obligations, impeccable conduct, inner discipline, and a way of life commensurate with the honor bestowed upon you. Awarded based on the sole criterion of services rendered to the Nation, these decorations transcend origins, social conditions, professions, and religious or political beliefs. They symbolize universality: the founding principle of the National Order of the Lion.
It is in this republican and patriotic spirit that I invite every Senegalese man and woman to become model citizens, shaping their daily behavior on ethics, responsibility, the scrupulous respect of a demanding code of conduct, delicacy, restraint, and the elegance of savoir-vivre. Thus, we will strengthen this national cohesion, this vital energy indispensable to the flourishing of our community and the radiance of our country. Such is the true scope of the State's constant efforts to build a sovereign, just, and prosperous Senegal. A Senegal where the participation of each and everyone is valued, where self-sacrifice, rootedness in republican values, generosity, and the praise of well-done work ensure economic, social, and cultural development, in solidarity and equity.
Ladies and Gentlemen, In a troubled world, where international instability calls for vigilance, our homeland, Senegal, more than ever needs its sons and daughters, united in the preservation of our historical prestige, our democratic tradition, and our legendary Téranga. We must remain a strong and open Pan-African beacon, cited as an example across the continent and the world, and pursue with determination the initiated reforms, such as our ambitious transformation agenda, Vision Senegal 2050. This bold program relies on innovative projects, the valorization of human capital, and renewed intergenerational solidarity.
Relying on the wisdom of the elders is more essential than ever, to prepare those who, within our administration, will mobilize to serve citizens, for the flourishing of private initiative, and the development of a dynamic economic sector. In this perspective, respect for ethical, moral, and deontological values in the management of public affairs is no longer merely a recommendation; it is a categorical imperative. We cannot compromise on these principles, which guarantee the trust of our citizens and the coherence of our institutions.
Dear dignitaries, you know that this mission binds you. You must remain solid benchmarks, especially for our youth, eager for ambitions but sometimes misled by mirages and counter-values conveyed by certain contemporary media. Social networks, despite their usefulness, can also spread messages contrary to our moral heritage. It is up to you, guardians of the sanctuary of our ideals, to call for discernment and instill the moral vigor necessary to preserve the soul of our society.
Mr. Grand Chancellor, Behind the solemnity of this ceremony lies a demanding task: the meticulous examination, each year, of hundreds of files submitted to the Grand Chancellery. I salute the reforms you have led, facilitating the management and monitoring of applications. The establishment of a modern digital platform has improved exchanges between the supervisory authorities and the Grand Chancellery of the National Order of the Lion, and definitively resolved archiving issues. You have also worked for the international radiance of our institution, by organizing for the second time the International Conference of Francophone Grand Chancelleries in February 2022. Through your sense of duty and constant vigilance, you preserve the prestige of our orders, by ensuring the quality and moral value of those you distinguish. I congratulate you and express my deep satisfaction.
I also appreciate your willingness to open the national orders to sectors hitherto less valorized, thus reconnecting with the original vocation traced in 1960: to welcome into these orders those, from all walks of life, whose eminent services honor Senegal. Thus, you form a moral elite, whose example illuminates the entire national community.
To the supervisory authorities – presidents of institutions and ministers – I urge you to regularly organize reception ceremonies into the National Order of the Lion or award ceremonies in the Order of Merit. It is a gesture of recognition that expresses the Nation's gratitude towards its sons and daughters who have rendered eminent services to the community.
Ladies and Gentlemen, After extending my most sincere congratulations to the recipients, I wish to express my utmost esteem to the members of the National Order of the Lion Council. I thank them for their constant dedication alongside the Grand Chancellor, their high sense of responsibility, and their decisive contribution to maintaining the prestige and integrity of these high distinctions.
Thank you for your attention.