Bode George, Macaulay Family Blast FG for Pardoning Patriots with Criminals

…Say Herbert Macaulay Deserves Isolated Pardon, Not Inclusion on List of Convicts

By John Paul
Seventy-nine years after his death, the family of Herbert Heelas Macaulay, Nigeria’s revered nationalist and political trailblazer, has expressed outrage over the Federal Government’s decision to lump his name with those of drug dealers and common criminals in a list of posthumous pardons.

At a press conference in Lagos on Thursday, the descendants of the man celebrated as the Father of Nigerian Nationalism said that while they appreciated President Bola Tinubu’s gesture in granting a posthumous pardon, the context in which it was done demeaned the statesman’s legacy.

Present at the event were the Atona Oodua of Yorubaland, Chief Olabode George; Erelu Adeola Macaulay; Mr. Lanre Oshodi; Ms. Mayokun Thomas; Miss Kofoworola Macaulay; Miss Adeyinka Macaulay; Mr. Ayo Ogunlana; and Miss Turi Akerele.

Speaking on behalf of the Macaulay family, Chief Bode George declared that it was an affront to Nigeria’s collective history to place a national hero of Macaulay’s stature alongside those convicted of crimes.

“If Papa is to be honoured, he must be honoured independently,” George said. “Herbert Macaulay was not a criminal. He was a patriot, a visionary, and the grandson of the first African Anglican Bishop. He deserves isolation for national honour, not inclusion in a list of convicts.”

George reminded Nigerians that Macaulay’s old residence once stood where the General Post Office in Marina, Lagos, is today — a location that symbolises his enduring imprint on the city’s and the nation’s history.

Reading from a speech titled ‘Herbert Macaulay: The Father of Nigerian Nationalism’, the elder statesman retraced the life and legacy of the man who laid the foundation of Nigeria’s political awakening. “Today, as we gather to reflect on his life, we are not merely recalling a name from history,” George said. “We are rekindling the flame of patriotism, integrity, and people-centred governance that Macaulay ignited more than a century ago.”

He described Macaulay as a visionary who, despite his privileged lineage as the son of Thomas Babington Macaulay and grandson of Bishop Samuel Ajayi Crowther, chose the path of resistance against colonial oppression. Educated as a civil engineer in England, he could have enjoyed comfort within the colonial bureaucracy, George noted, but “he chose instead to question authority, challenge exploitation, and speak truth to power.”

Macaulay’s fight for justice, George recalled, saw him defend the Eleko of Lagos, Oba Eshugbayi Eleko, in a landmark legal battle against the British colonial government — a case that he pursued to the Privy Council in London and won in 1928. “That victory,” George said, “was not merely for an Oba; it was for the sovereignty and dignity of the Nigerian people.”

He reminded the audience that Macaulay founded the Nigerian National Democratic Party (NNDP) in 1923 — the country’s first political party — which laid the groundwork for democratic participation in colonial Nigeria. Later, his alliance with Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe in forming the National Council of Nigeria and the Cameroons (NCNC) in 1944 marked a major turning point in the nationalist movement that eventually led to Nigeria’s independence.

“Even at eighty, Macaulay was on the frontlines,” George said, recalling that the nationalist died in 1946 in Kano, while on a campaign for national unity. “He was a patriot to his last breath.”

George and the Macaulay family urged the Federal Government to issue a separate, dignified national honour to the late nationalist, befitting his monumental contributions. “To list Herbert Macaulay alongside those who betrayed public trust or traded in narcotics is to misunderstand his essence,” George said. “He was imprisoned, yes — but by colonial rulers, for defending Nigerians. His so-called ‘crimes’ were acts of courage against injustice.”

The family called on the Tinubu administration to demonstrate a clearer understanding of history and honour Nigeria’s founding figures in ways that reflect their sacrifices. “If we must rebuild Nigeria, we must begin by respecting those who built it,” George said. “Macaulay’s nationalism was moral, not ethnic. It was about truth, justice, and the liberation of his people. He must not be remembered in the company of criminals.”

He concluded with a challenge to Nigeria’s current leaders to emulate Macaulay’s ideals of integrity and service: “Our founding fathers did not fight for personal gain; they fought for national dignity. If we truly seek to honour them, we must do so not in lists or ceremonies, but in our commitment to govern justly, transparently, and with compassion for the people.”