Former House of Representatives member, Farouk Lawan, has expressed heartfelt appreciation to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for granting him a presidential pardon, describing the gesture as one that has “renewed” his faith and restored his hope in the country.
Lawan was among 175 Nigerians who received presidential pardons following the approval of the Council of State based on Tinubu’s recommendations on Thursday. Other prominent names on the list include Nigeria’s nationalist and founding father, Herbert Macaulay, and former Federal Capital Territory Minister under General Ibrahim Babangida’s military administration, Major-General Mamman Vatsa (retd).
In a statement posted on his Facebook page on Thursday night, Lawan praised President Tinubu as “a fatherly, compassionate, and decisive political leader,” noting that his act of mercy would be remembered by history.
“To a fatherly, compassionate, and decisive political leader, His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, God and history shall remember you,” Lawan wrote. “Mr President has cast a warm blanket over me, pulling me back from the harshness of yesterday’s cold. I am deeply humbled and grateful for the mercy which Allah (SWT), through Mr President and my country, have shown me.”
Farouk Lawan, who represented the Bagwai/Shanono constituency of Kano State, was at the centre of one of Nigeria’s most controversial political scandals in 2012. He was accused of demanding a $3 million bribe from billionaire businessman Femi Otedola to remove Zenon Petroleum from a list of companies indicted for fuel subsidy fraud.
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Video evidence showing Lawan receiving cash from Otedola sparked national outrage, prompting the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to file charges against him.
In June 2021, a Federal Capital Territory High Court found Lawan guilty on three counts of bribery and sentenced him to seven years imprisonment. The Court of Appeal in February 2022 later acquitted him on two counts but upheld one conviction, reducing his sentence to five years. The Supreme Court affirmed the ruling in January 2024, and he was eventually released in October 2024 after serving his term.
Reflecting on his journey, Lawan expressed gratitude to his family, friends, and supporters who stood by him through his ordeal. “During the eclipse at noon of my life, a path designed by destiny, I was upheld by my family, friends, and associates whose light became my unfailing beacon. I remain eternally indebted to you. May Allah recompense you,” he said.
He also pledged renewed commitment to national service and unity, adding that his faith in Nigeria remains unshaken. “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. My family and I, along with my friends and associates across Nigeria, are profoundly grateful to Mr President for drafting me back into active citizenship with its unavoidable service imperative,” he said.
Lawan’s public expression of gratitude has stirred mixed reactions online, with many Nigerians viewing the presidential pardon as both a humanitarian act and a politically symbolic gesture by the Tinubu administration.
