Farouk Lawan: “I Lie Prostrate in Gratitude for the President’s Mercy”

…As Tinubu Pardons Herbert Macaulay, Vatsa, Ogoni Nine, Others

By John Paul

Former House of Representatives member, Farouk Lawan, has expressed profound gratitude to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for granting him a presidential pardon, describing it as a divine act of mercy that has renewed his faith and hope in Nigeria’s future.

In an emotional statement issued on Thursday, Lawan said the President’s compassion had restored his sense of belonging and reaffirmed his belief in the redemptive power of justice and forgiveness.

“To a fatherly, compassionate, and decisive political leader, His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR — God and history shall remember you,” Lawan declared.
“Mr. President has cast a warm blanket over me, pulling me back from the harshness of yesterday’s cold. A day like this is not for a long treatise.”

“I lie prostrate, utterly humble in my heart and entire being, grateful for the mercy which Allah (SWT), through Mr. President and my country, has shown me,” he added.

Lawan said his family, friends, and associates stood by him through the most trying period of his life.

“During the eclipse at noon of my life — a path designed by destiny, a past with which I am fully reconciled — my family, friends, and associates stood by me through thick and thin. Their light became my unfailing beacon. I remain eternally indebted. May Allah (SWT) recompense you,” he said.

The former lawmaker expressed renewed commitment to national service, saying:

“Throughout those moments of sober reflection, my faith in the greatness of our Fatherland never wavered, nor did my resolve to contribute to it ever weaken. A re-dedication to the ideals of Nigeria is upon me. My hope is renewed.”

Lawan represented Bagwai/Shanono constituency of Kano State in the House of Representatives and came to national prominence as chairman of the ad hoc committee investigating the 2012 fuel subsidy regime. He was later accused of demanding $3 million from billionaire businessman Femi Otedola to remove Zenon Petroleum and Gas Limited, Otedola’s former company, from the list of firms implicated in the subsidy fraud.

At the time, social media was awash with video clips allegedly showing Lawan stuffing wads of currency notes into his traditional outfit and under his cap. He was subsequently arraigned by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) on seven counts of bribery.

On June 22, 2021, an FCT High Court in Apo convicted Lawan on three counts and sentenced him to seven years in prison. In February 2022, the Court of Appeal discharged and acquitted him on two of the three counts, reducing his sentence from seven to five years. The Supreme Court, in January 2024, affirmed his conviction. He completed his five-year jail term and was released in October 2024.

Lawan who was granted clemency alongside Mrs. Anastasia Daniel Nwaobia, Hussaini Umar, and Ayinla Alanamu, among others, said the presidential pardon marked a new beginning for him.

“My family and I, along with my friends and associates in Kano State and across Nigeria, are indescribably grateful to Mr. President for drafting me back into active citizenship with its unavoidable service imperative,” he stated.

President Tinubu also granted posthumous pardons to Maj.-Gen. Mamman Vatsa, executed for treason in 1986, and Herbert Macaulay, Nigeria’s foremost nationalist and co-founder of the National Council of Nigeria and the Cameroons (NCNC).

In a sweeping gesture of national reconciliation, the President pardoned the Ogoni Nine, including Ken Saro-Wiwa, and conferred posthumous national honours on the Ogoni Four—Chief Albert Badey, Chief Edward Kobani, Chief Samuel Orage, and Theophilus Orage.

Overall, the President approved clemency for 82 inmates, reduced sentences for 65 others, and commuted seven death sentences to life imprisonment, based on recommendations from the Presidential Advisory Committee on the Prerogative of Mercy (PACPM), chaired by Attorney General Lateef Fagbemi.

For Lawan, the President’s gesture symbolizes forgiveness, renewal, and a second chance.

“Mr. President’s mercy has renewed my hope and faith,” he concluded. “I pray that I may now, through service and humility, justify this second chance my country has given me.”