Presidency apologises for listing living icons in posthumous honours

By Kunle Sanni

The Presidency has tendered an apology after mistakenly listing two prominent Nigerian figures, Pa Reuben Fasoranti and Dr. Edwin Madunagu, as deceased during President Bola Tinubu’s Democracy Day address at the National Assembly.

The error, which sparked public confusion during Thursday’s televised ceremony, saw the two respected elder statesmen named under the Posthumous Honours category alongside late pro-democracy heroes.

Hours later, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, issued a statement acknowledging the mistake and clarifying that both men are alive and were wrongly categorised.

“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,” Onanuga said.

Describing the inclusion as an oversight, the Presidency apologised to the affected honourees and the public, adding that immediate steps were being taken to correct the records across all official State House platforms.

“We sincerely regret this oversight. We shall make the necessary corrections across all State House digital platforms,” the statement read.