The Nigerian Presidency has debunked reports suggesting that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu conferred national honours on activist Aisha Yesufu and others not named in the official list.
On Thursday, during an address to a joint session of the National Assembly in Abuja, President Tinubu conferred national honours on a select group of Nigerians in recognition of their commitment to democracy, justice, press freedom, and national development.
Among the honourees were Nobel Laureate Prof. Wole Soyinka, slain environmental activist Ken Saro-Wiwa, human rights advocate Femi Falana (SAN), and Catholic Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah.
Prof. Soyinka was decorated with the Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger (GCON), the nation’s second-highest honour. Other recipients received various distinctions including the Commander of the Order of the Niger (CON), Officer of the Order of the Niger (OON), and Commander of the Federal Republic (CFR).
Shortly after the official announcement, a viral report credited to the Leadership newspaper circulated on social media, claiming that Aisha Yesufu and several others were also among the awardees.
In response, the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Temitope Ajayi, dismissed the report as false.
“The story on a viral list of national honours featuring the name of Aisha Yesufu and others credited to the Leadership newspaper is fake news. It should be ignored. The presidency has not issued any fresh honours list different from the ones in President Tinubu’s address to the joint sitting of the National Assembly yesterday,” Ajayi stated in an update posted Friday night.
The article was originally published on Politics Nigeria.
