The Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation has called on media organisations and the public to be more diligent in the use of the official appellation for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, warning that repeated errors were becoming embarrassing and avoidable.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, the Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to the SGF, Yomi Odunuga, said the reminder followed a recent mistake by a national daily that misnamed the President in its publication on May 7. He said such lapses could have been prevented through simple verification with the office’s official channels.
“For the record, the correct and official appellation is His Excellency, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Federal Republic of Nigeria,” Odunuga stated. He urged editors and reporters to confirm titles before publication to uphold professional standards and avoidable errors filtering into print and online platforms.
According to findings made by http://OOJmedia.com, the legal basis for the office is set out in Section 130 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. The section provides that “there shall be for the Federation a President,” and that “the President shall be the Head of State, the Chief Executive of the Federation and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federation.”
While the Constitution defines the office and its powers, the fuller style used in official communication draws from diplomatic protocol and national honours. “His Excellency” is the conventional address for a head of state, while GCFR, or Grand Commander of the Order of the Federal Republic, is automatically conferred on the President upon assumption of office under the National Honours Act.
Government officials say consistency in the use of the correct title matters for record-keeping, diplomatic correspondence, and historical documentation. Inconsistent references, they argue, create confusion in archives and undermine the dignity of the office.
The SGF’s office noted that verification could be done through its official accounts on Facebook, Instagram, X, and via email, and encouraged media houses to take advantage of these channels.
The statement added that the office would continue to monitor public communications and issue corrections where necessary to ensure accuracy in the representation of the presidency.
