President Tinubu mistakenly named two living Nigerians as posthumous awardees during his Democracy Day speech, prompting a presidency apology.
President Bola Tinubu mistakenly named two living Nigerians—Pa Reuben Fasoranti and Dr. Edwin Madunagu—as posthumous national award recipients during his Democracy Day address at the National Assembly on Wednesday. Fasoranti was awarded the Commander of the Order of the Federal Republic (CFR), while Madunagu received the Commander of the Order of the Niger (CON). Both men, however, are still alive.
The presidency later admitted the error, calling it an “oversight.” Bayo Onanuga, special adviser to the president on information and strategy, said, “Both distinguished individuals are very much alive and, therefore, should not have appeared in the posthumous category. We sincerely regret this oversight.”
He added that the mistake would be corrected on all official digital platforms. This is not the first such blunder from the presidency. In May, it falsely claimed Tinubu met with a top Vatican official, later deleting the misleading post after public criticism.