Descendants of the foremost late Nigerian nationalist, Sir Herbert Macaulay, appealed to President Bola Tinubu on Thursday to isolate their patriarch for commendation and honour.
The descendants, led by one of Macaulay’s grandsons and former Deputy National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Olabode George, made this call at a news conference in Lagos.
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Speaking on behalf of others, Mr George, accompanied by some great-grandchildren of the late nationalist, said that while the family appreciated the recent state pardon given to Macaulay, they expected their progenitor to be honoured separately.
“We thank Mr President (President Bola Tinubu) for the state pardon, but are not pleased with how it was lumped with other convicted characters. Lumping him with all manners of characters is a little bit unfair. If he (Macaulay) is to be honoured, he should be honoured independently.
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‘‘The British hated him with passion, harassed him and imprisoned him for his fight for the cause of freedom for Nigeria. Don’t lump him with other characters. He should be isolated and honoured separately. He deserves a better commendation. He should not be lumped in with those convicted of drugs, murder, and corrupt practices being pardoned. We are appealing to the inner chambers of powers-that-be to isolate Baba and honour him, for all he did for this country,” Mr George said.
Everlasting memory
According to him, Macaulay’s contributions can never be erased in the country. He urged the President to create an everlasting memory for Mr Macaulay by rebuilding his house at Marina, which the British demolished to build the General Post Office.
The PDP chieftain described Mr Macaulay as a man whose courage, intellect, and conviction helped establish Nigeria’s political consciousness.
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Mr George said that Mr Macaulay, more than a century ago, rekindled the flame of patriotism, visionary leadership, political integrity, and people-centred governance.
He said that Mr Macaulay’s choice to stand against injustice, when it was far easier to conform and enjoy prestige under colonial administration, made him remarkable.
Mr George said: “Yet, he chose the harder path to question authority, to challenge exploitation, and to speak truth to power. He was a relentless critic of colonial misrule. In 1908, Macaulay’s growing criticism of British policies found a public platform through his involvement in the Lagos Daily News, a paper he co-founded to serve as the voice of the voiceless.
“The newspaper became his weapon, a weapon of truth and advocacy. He used it to expose corruption, racial discrimination, and economic exploitation. In his time, Macaulay was vilified by the colonial press, labelled a troublemaker, even imprisoned, but history has vindicated him.”
Describing Mr Macaulay as a people’s advocate, Mr George said he understood that political freedom was meaningless without social justice.
“In his time, he took risks; he was imprisoned twice by the colonial government, yet he never wavered,” he said.
Herbert Macaulay
He also recalled how Mr Macaulay founded the Nigerian National Democratic Party (NNDP), the first political party in Nigeria, to create an organised platform for collective political expression.
The grandson highlighted that Mr Macaulay believed in self-determination, unity in diversity, accountability, education and politics of integrity.
“If we truly seek to honour Herbert Macaulay today, we must not do so with mere words or statues. We must embody his principles in our politics, our elections’ integrity, our governance’s transparency, and our commitment to justice for all Nigerians.
“He envisioned a country where government is not a master, but a servant of the people. Today, as we grapple with the challenges of nation-building, insecurity, inequality, and corruption, we must draw from his example. We must build bridges, not walls; institutions, not empires.’’ he said.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that other descendants in attendance include Erelu Adeola Macaulay, Lanre Oshodi, Mayokun Thomas, Kofoworola Macaulay, Adeyinka Macaulay, Ayo Ogunlana and Turi Akerele.
NAN recalled that Mr Macaulay was born on 14 November 1864 in Lagos and died in 1946.
President Bola Tinubu, on 9 October, granted a presidential posthumous state pardon to late Macaulay, and 174 others, dead and alive.
(NAN)
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