President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has granted posthumous pardons to several historic Nigerian figures, including nationalist Herbert Macaulay, poet and military officer Major General Mamman Jiya Vatsa, and the Ogoni Nine led by Ken Saro-Wiwa, as part of a broad exercise of presidential clemency aimed at promoting justice and reconciliation.

The move followed the approval of the National Council of State, which convened in Abuja on Thursday to consider the recommendations of the Presidential Advisory Committee on the Prerogative of Mercy (PACPM).

Herbert Macaulay, co-founder and first president of the National Council of Nigeria and the Cameroons (NCNC), was unjustly convicted by British colonial authorities in 1913 and banned from public office. His pardon, nearly eight decades after his death in 1946, symbolically clears his record of the colonial-era conviction.

Major General Mamman Vatsa, executed in 1986 under the military regime of General Ibrahim Babangida on charges of treason, was also granted a posthumous pardon, recognizing his contributions to literature and national service.

President Tinubu further pardoned Farouk Lawan, a former member of the House of Representatives; Mrs Anastasia Daniel Nwaobia; Barrister Hussaini Umar; and Ayinla Saadu Alanamu, noting that they had shown genuine remorse and efforts toward societal reintegration. Additionally, Nweke Francis Chibueze, convicted for drug-related offenses, and Dr Nwogu Peters, sentenced for fraud, were granted clemency.

In a significant gesture toward reconciliation, the President also granted posthumous pardons to the Ogoni Nine, including environmental activist Ken Saro-Wiwa, and bestowed national honours on the Ogoni Four — Chief Albert Badey, Chief Edward Kobani, Chief Samuel Orage, and Theophilus Orage — acknowledging their sacrifices in the Niger Delta struggle.

Beyond the symbolic pardons, President Tinubu approved clemency for 82 inmates and commuted the death sentences of seven others to life imprisonment, following the committee’s recommendation. The terms of 65 inmates were also reduced.

The PACPM, chaired by Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Prince Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, comprises 12 members, including former Attorney General Chief Akinlolu Olujinmi, Prof. Alkasum Abba, Prof. (Mrs.) Nike Ijaiya, Justice Augustine Utsaha, and Dr Onwusoro Maduka, the committee’s secretary. Institutional representatives include officials from the Nigeria Police Force, Nigerian Correctional Service, National Human Rights Commission, Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA), and the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN).

According to the report presented to the Council of State, the committee reviewed 294 cases, interviewing 175 inmates and assessing applications on behalf of 119 others. The recommendations were based on humanitarian and rehabilitative criteria, including old age (60+), terminal illness, youthfulness, long-term imprisonment, good conduct, vocational training, and remorsefulness.

The Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Sen. George Akume, inaugurated the PACPM on January 15, 2025, describing it as part of President Tinubu’s vision to strengthen justice, rehabilitation, and human rights in Nigeria.

President Tinubu, through this exercise, reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to fairness, restorative justice, and national healing.