Governors Ibikunle Amosu (Ogun), Olusegun Mimiko (Ondo) and Theodore Orji (Abia) on Monday promised to work harder to continue to bring dividends of democracy to the people of their states.
The governors spoke in separate interviews with journalists shortly after they were conferred with national honours of Commander of the Order of Niger at the International Conference, Abuja.
Amosu said such honour conferred on him meant that his efforts at making lives meaningful for the people of his state were being appreciated.
He said, "It (the national honour) means that we should work more for the nation, work more for the states, that is what it means to me.
"When you are given award like this, you are honoured, it means that our efforts are being appreciated for what you are doing, it is a call for more service.
"It shows that the President is not too busy to see those who merited the award and for him too, it is call to service for Mr. President to work more and when he now gives to people like us, it means that he identifies with us, he appreciates what we are doing and he is telling us to do more."
He said he would not totally agree with those who said the awards have become an all-comers affair.
"It is like describing an elephant, it is from the perspective from which you are looking at it. Yes, there may be one or two misgivings about it, people will talk anyway, that is why I will not want to totally agree with them in that perspective. I think whoever is given, it is a call to serve more, render selfless service to the nation and to our different states," he added.
Mimiko also said the award would spur him and his co-recipients to continue to support the President in order to achieve his agenda for national transformation.
He urged all Nigerians to continue to support the present administration by giving peace a chance.
Orji said his award was a confirmation that those who have been accusing him of not making impact in his state were doing so out of malice.
He said no other assessment of his performance could be more reliable than that done by the Federal Government.
A former Minister of Industry, Chief Nike Akande, described the national honours as a deserving birthday gift.
Akande, who clocks 70 in October, said he would remain grateful to the President for the honour.
She was also honoured with CON.
Her husband, Chief Adebayo Akande, was similarly honoured with Member of the Order of the Federal Republic.
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