The Presidency has refuted claims that President Bola Tinubu awarded national honours to activist Aisha Yesufu and 35 others, describing a circulating list as fake news.
Temitope Ajayi, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, issued a statement on Friday debunking the viral list that surfaced on social media, which allegedly included Yesufu and several other names.
“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 added that the Presidency had not released any additional list beyond the names mentioned during President Tinubu’s Democracy Day address.
The controversy emerged after a document listing 102 individuals as honorees went viral online, sparking debates—particularly among political supporters and critics of the Tinubu administration.
Aisha Yesufu, a prominent critic of the Tinubu government, gained national recognition for her role in the 2020 End SARS protests. Her inclusion on the fake list stirred strong reactions across social media platforms.
On Thursday, June 13, during his speech at the joint session of the National Assembly to mark the 2025 Democracy Day, President Tinubu officially named only 66 recipients of national honours.
Among those honoured posthumously were former Chief of Staff Shehu Musa Yar’Adua, former NEC Chairman Prof. Humphrey Nwosu—lwho conducted the 1993 elections and Kudirat Abiola, a June 12 martyr and wife of MKO Abiola.
