…Hebert Macaulay’s family rejects ‘lumped pardon’, demands independent honour

The Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), has clarified that no inmate has been released under the recent exercise of the presidential prerogative of mercy, contrary to public speculation.
 
In a statement issued by the AGF, Fagbemi explained that the clemency process was currently at its final administrative stage. 
 
He said the stage involved a thorough review to ensure all names and recommendations meet established legal and procedural standards before any official release is authorised.
 
According to the AGF, the verification process is a standard protocol that underscores the government’s commitment to transparency, due diligence, and the rule of law.

Meanwhile, descendants of the late Herbert Heelas Macaulay, the Father of Nigerian nationalism, have commended President Bola Tinubu for granting a posthumous pardon to the late patriot but condemned the manner in which it was done, describing it as demeaning to his legacy.
 
At a press conference in Lagos yesterday, the family, led by a former Deputy National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Olabode George, and Atona Oodua of Yorubaland, insisted that Herbert Macaulay should not have been lumped together with “drug lords and other manner of criminals” in a general pardon list.
 
They said that if the government wished to honour the founding father of Nigerian nationalism, it must do so independently and distinctly.
 
“Macaulay fought oppression and gave us the courage to stand as free men”, George stated.
 
Both George and the Macaulay family called on the Federal Government to immortalise the nationalist by naming a major national monument or institution after him, describing him as “the man who lit the torch of Nigeria’s freedom.”
 
“Herbert Macaulay’s name must stand alone, not among those who broke the law, but among those who built the nation,” George concluded.
 
Other members of the Macaulay Family present at the press conference were: Erelu Adeola Macaulay, Lanre Oshodi, Mayokun Thomas, Kofoworola Macaulay, Adeyinka Macaulay, Ayo Ogunlana and Turi Akerele.
 
George said, “Herbert Macaulay did not live to see independence, but he built the road toward it. We, who are beneficiaries of his struggle, have a duty to continue building to expand freedom beyond politics into economics, education, and social justice.
 
“His dream was of a Nigeria where every citizen, regardless of tribe, creed, or class, could stand tall with dignity. He envisioned a country where the government is not a master, but a servant of the people.
 
“Today, as we grapple with the challenges of nation-building insecurity, inequality, and corruption, we must draw from his example. We must build bridges, not walls; institutions, not empires.