By Muhammad Sulaiman
The Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA) has lauded President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for granting a posthumous pardon to the late Major-General Mamman Jiya Vatsa, a former Nigerian Army officer and acclaimed poet.
In a statement signed by ANA President, Dr Usman Oladipo Akanbi, and General Secretary, Dame Joan Oji, PhD, the Association described the gesture as a “commendable act of national healing” and a recognition of Vatsa’s enduring contributions to Nigerian arts and literature.
General Vatsa, who was executed in 1986 over alleged involvement in a coup plot, was one of ANA’s early leaders and a strong patron of the literary community. He was instrumental in securing the land for the Mamman Vatsa Writers’ Village in Abuja, a landmark project of the Association.
While expressing appreciation for the pardon, ANA maintained that Vatsa was wrongfully convicted, noting that his trial and execution were the result of “deliberate malice orchestrated by a perceived close associate.” The Association said the presidential pardon serves as a vindication of Vatsa’s innocence.
ANA further appealed to President Tinubu to direct that all the rights, privileges, and entitlements due to the late General be paid to his family as a gesture of justice, closure, and recognition of his service to the nation.
The Association concluded by thanking the President “for finally wiping the tears of the Mamman Vatsa family,” adding that the act will forever immortalise the legacy of the distinguished poet-soldier and patron of Nigerian literature.