President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has granted a presidential pardon to two prominent figures in Nigeria’s history — Herbert Macaulay, one of the nation’s founding fathers, and Major General Mamman Vatsa (retd), a former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory under the Babangida regime.
The announcement was made following the approval of the National Council of State, which considered the President’s recommendation for a posthumous pardon for both men.
Major General Vatsa, a poet and military officer, was executed in 1986 after being convicted by a military tribunal on charges of treason during the regime of General Ibrahim Babangida. His death has remained one of the most controversial moments in Nigeria’s military history, with persistent calls over the years for a review of his trial and a posthumous restoration of his honour.
Herbert Macaulay, widely regarded as the father of Nigerian nationalism, was twice convicted by the British colonial government in Lagos. In 1913, while working as a private surveyor, he was accused of misappropriating funds from an estate he managed and sentenced to prison — a case that historians have long described as politically motivated due to his opposition to colonial rule.
President Tinubu’s decision to grant the pardons is being viewed as part of efforts to heal historical wounds and honour the contributions of key figures in Nigeria’s political and social development.
The gesture, according to the Presidency, underscores Tinubu’s commitment to national reconciliation and the preservation of Nigeria’s historical legacy.
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