Former lawmaker and ex-Chairman of the House of Representatives Ad Hoc Committee on Fuel Subsidy, Farouk Lawan, has expressed deep gratitude to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for granting him a presidential pardon.
Lawan was among the 175 beneficiaries of the presidential prerogative of mercy approved by the Council of State on Thursday. Others on the list included nationalist Herbert Macaulay and Maj. Gen. Mamman Vatsa (retd.), the former FCT Minister executed in 1986 under the Babangida regime.
In a statement posted on his Facebook page Thursday night, Lawan described the president’s gesture as one that has “renewed” his hope and faith in the Nigerian project.
“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 profoundly humbled and grateful for the mercy which Allah (SWT), through Mr. President and my country, has shown me.”
From Scandal to Redemption
Lawan, who represented Bagwai/Shanono Federal Constituency in Kano State, gained national attention in 2012 during the fuel subsidy scandal. He was accused of soliciting a $3 million bribe from billionaire businessman Femi Otedola to remove Zenon Petroleum from a list of firms indicted for subsidy fraud.
Video evidence of him receiving cash triggered public outrage, leading to his prosecution by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC).
In June 2021, a federal court convicted him on three counts and sentenced him to seven years in prison, later reduced to five years by the Court of Appeal in 2022, a verdict upheld by the Supreme Court in January 2024. He was released in October 2024 after completing his term.
Reflecting on his ordeal, Lawan said his faith in Nigeria never faltered despite his challenges.
“During the eclipse at noon of my life a path designed by destiny, with which I am now reconciled my family, friends, and associates stood by me through thick and thin. Their light became my unfailing beacon,” he said.
“Throughout those moments of sober reflection, my faith in the greatness of our fatherland never wavered, nor did my resolve to serve it weaken. A re-dedication to the ideals of Nigeria is upon me. My hope is renewed.
