Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Information and Strategy, has defended the president’s decision to review and amend the recent presidential pardon list, describing it as a show of courage and accountability rather than weakness.
On Wednesday, President Tinubu directed that individuals convicted of grave offences, including kidnapping, drug trafficking, human trafficking, fraud, and unlawful possession of firearms, be removed from the list of those granted clemency under the federal government’s prerogative of mercy.
The president had earlier, on October 11, approved pardons and other forms of clemency for 175 individuals, following the endorsement of the Council of State.
One of the beneficiaries, Maryam Sanda, had been sentenced to death for the 2017 murder of her husband, Bilyamin Mohammed Bello.
However, after intense public criticism, President Tinubu withdrew Sanda’s full pardon and instead reduced her sentence to 12 years’ imprisonment.
Speaking on Prime Time, an Arise Television programme, on Thursday, Onanuga urged Nigerians to interpret the president’s action as proof of a leader who listens and is willing to correct his own decisions when necessary. He said the revision demonstrates “a responsive and reflective leadership style.”
“What Nigerians ought to have seen now is that this president is not one that is afraid to reverse himself if he feels like he’s made some error,” Onanuga said.
He added that President Tinubu remains open to public feedback and committed to correcting mistakes when necessary.
“He’s a human being. He can make mistakes. He listens to the public. This is a president who wakes up in the morning to read all Nigerian newspapers and to watch the TV and knows what’s going on.”
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Onanuga insisted that Tinubu’s willingness to review and adjust his own decisions should be interpreted as a show of leadership maturity.
“It’s a matter of strength for you to do something, appraise it and make some adjustments,” he stated.
Responding to the controversy surrounding Maryam Sanda’s case, Onanuga acknowledged that her inclusion in the original list sparked most of the public criticism.
“Most of the criticisms were coming from the case of Maryam Sanda, whom the court found guilty and sentenced to death for killing her husband,” he said.
He further clarified that while the revised list excluded certain categories of offenders, some individuals convicted of drug-related offences still benefited from the president’s clemency.
“As to whether the president freed drug convicts, even the second list contains some drug offenders who were also given clemency,” he explained.
The review of the pardon list marks one of the instances in which President Tinubu has publicly reversed a major policy decision in response to public sentiment a move his aides describe as evidence of a government willing to “listen, learn, and lead with humility.”
