Two goofs in one month: Tinubu posthumously honours to 2 living Nigerians among 139 awardees

President Bola Tinubu’s government has made a significant error, awarding two living Nigerians with posthumous National Honours among a list of 139 awardees.

The awards were conferred on the beneficiaries in recognition of their outstanding contributions in shaping Nigeria’s democracy.

The latest error is not isolated. On May 17, the presidency claimed that Tinubu met Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Secretary of State to the Vatican, instead of Cardinal Kevin Farrell, the Prefect of the Dicastery for the Laity, Family and Life. After much backlash, the president was forced to delete the misleading post.

In this latest error, Tinubu honoured two living a Nigerians with posthumous award. They are; Pa Reuben Fasoranti and Dr Edwin Madunagu, pro-democracy activists and national figures. They were awarded national honours in the posthumous category.

Fasoranti, the leader of the Afenifere was awarded with Commander of the Order of the Federal Republic (CFR), while Madunagu, a renowed professor of Botany, was awarded with the commander of the Order of the Niger (CON) award.

Bayo Onanuga, special adviser to the president on information and strategy, later apologised for the error.

“During his Democracy Day address at the joint session of the National Assembly earlier today, President Bola Tinubu announced a list of pro-democracy activists and national figures to be honoured for their significant contributions to the restoration of democratic governance in Nigeria,” Onanuga said.

“Under the Posthumous Award category, the names of Pa Reuben Fasoranti, the Afenifere leader, and Dr. Edwin Madunagu were incorrectly included.

“Both distinguished individuals are very much alive and, therefore, should not have appeared in the posthumous category. We sincerely regret this oversight. We shall make the necessary corrections across all State House digital platforms.”