By Ayodele Oni
One of Nigeria founding fathers, Herbert Macaulay, jailed by Colonial Masters for alleged misappropriation of funds over 100 years ago, is among those that received President Bola Tinubu’s State Pardon on Thursday.
The President approved the exercise of the Presidential Prerogative of Mercy for 175 individuals, following the endorsement of the Council of State during its meeting on Thursday at the State House, Abuja.
The approval came after a presentation by the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), who conveyed the President’s recommendations based on the report of the Advisory Committee on the Prerogative of Mercy.
Apart from Macaulay, others are: Maj-Gen. Mamman Vatsa (retd.), a former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory under the Babangida Regime who was executed by that regime for alleged Coup plotting, the Ogoni Nine and Ogoni Four.
A source at the meeting confirmed that “Herbert Macaulay and Vatsa are among the two major figures on that list.”
Macaulay, widely regarded as the father of Nigerian nationalism, was twice convicted by colonial authorities.
In 1913, he was jailed for alleged misappropriation of funds from an estate he managed as a surveyor. In 1928, he was sentenced to six months in prison with hard labour for sedition after his newspaper, Lagos Daily News, published controversial claims during the Eleko agitation — a case often referred to as the “Gunpowder Plot.”
Vatsa, a poet, military officer, and member of the Supreme Military Council, was executed on March 5, 1986, following his conviction by a secret military tribunal for an alleged coup plot against the regime of then Gen. Ibrahim Babangida, his longtime friend. Like Babangida, he hailed from Niger State.
His trial and execution have remained subjects of national controversy, with recurring calls for a posthumous pardon.
Of the 175 individuals granted clemency,
82 received full pardons,
65 had their sentences reduced, and
7 death sentences were commuted to life imprisonment.
Briefing Journalists after the meeting, Governor Uba Sani of Kaduna State reiterated that the decision reflects President Tinubu’s dedication to justice, fairness, and correctional reform.
The Council, chaired by President Tinubu, also ratified key appointments, including Dr. Aminu Yusuf (Niger State) as Chairman of the National Population Commission, and Tonge Bularafa (Yobe State) as Federal Commissioner representing Yobe in the Commission. Both appointments received unanimous approval.
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