Tinubu Honours Democracy Icons, Grants Pardon to Ogoni Nine
President Bola Tinubu on Thursday honoured dozens of Nigerians—dead and alive—for their roles in defending democracy, with a sweeping gesture that included posthumous national awards and presidential pardons for some of the country’s most iconic pro-democracy figures.
Speaking during his Democracy Day address at the National Assembly, Tinubu announced a list of over 60 awardees, notably including the late Kudirat Abiola, assassinated in 1996 while campaigning for her husband’s mandate, who was awarded the Commander of the Federal Republic (CFR) title.
In a bold symbolic move, Tinubu conferred national honours on Ken Saro-Wiwa and other members of the Ogoni Nine, all executed in 1995 by the Abacha regime, awarding them Officer of the Order of the Niger (OON) and granting them a presidential pardon.
“I shall also be exercising my powers under the prerogative of mercy to grant these national heroes a full pardon, together with others whose names shall be announced later in conjunction with the National Council of State,” the President said.
Also Read: Why I felt a sense of relief when I found my mother dead on Sunday – By Noo Saro-Wiwa
Nobel laureate Prof. Wole Soyinka received the Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger (GCON), while late Shehu Musa Yar’Adua was conferred the Grand Commander of the Federal Republic (GCFR)—Nigeria’s highest honour.
The recognition, largely seen as overdue, marks the first time some of these democracy activists and journalists, many persecuted or killed under military rule, are officially acknowledged by the Nigerian state.
Observers say this gesture could signal a new narrative in Nigeria’s reconciliation with its authoritarian past, especially with presidential pardons extended to previously condemned figures like the Ogoni Nine.
