PRESIDENCY DEBUNKS AWARDING AISHA YESUFU NATIONAL HONOUR

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By: Sefiu Ajape

The presidency has refuted a widely circulated list on social media that falsely claims human rights activist Aisha Yesufu, along with 35 others, was recently awarded a national honour by President Bola Tinubu.

The controversial list, which emerged online on Friday, sparked intense debate—particularly among supporters of the Tinubu administration—due to the inclusion of Yesufu, a prominent government critic.

Although the viral document contains 102 names, President Tinubu had officially announced only 66 recipients during his Democracy Day speech on Thursday, June 13, at a joint sitting of the National Assembly in Abuja.

In response, Temitope Ajayi, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, dismissed the list as “fake news.”

“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,” Ajayi said in a Facebook post.

He further clarified that, “The Presidency has not issued fresh names for national honour different from the ones in President Tinubu’s address to the joint sitting of the National Assembly yesterday.”

As part of the 2025 Democracy Day celebrations, President Bola Tinubu honoured 66 Nigerians for their notable contributions to the country’s democratic development.

The list of posthumous honourees included:

Shehu Musa Yar’Adua – Former Chief of Staff and influential pro-democracy advocate
Kudirat Abiola – Wife of MKO Abiola and a symbol of resistance during the June 12 struggle
Prof. Humphrey Nwosu – Former NEC Chairman who presided over the historic 1993 elections

The awards were presented in recognition of the pivotal roles and sacrifices made by these individuals in advancing Nigeria’s democracy.