The presidency has stated that the award given to President Muhammadu Buhari by the family of Martin Luther King, late American human rights activist, was a “commemorative plaque”.

THEWILL recalls that pictures of the President being presented the award, on Tuesday, surfaced on social media claiming President was being awarded by the family of Martin Luther King.

However, the King Center, in a statement, disassociated the family from the award by denying any involvement in the award given to Buhari.

“The award given to President Buhari of Nigeria was not given by The King Center, at the request of The King Center or by the children of #MLK and #CorettaScottKing,” the centre wrote on Twitter.

However, reacting to the controversy, Abike Dabiri-Erewa, Senior Special Assistant to the President on foreign affairs and diaspora, said the award was not given on behalf of The King Center.

She said the award was given to the President by Naomi Barbara King, a matriarch of the King family in a personal capacity and not on behalf of The King Centre.

According to a statement by Abdulrahman Balogun, her spokesman, Dabiri-Erewa said Naomi gave the plaque to Buhari in recognition of his fight against corruption.

“The members, led by the matriarch of MLK, Naomi Barbara King, were in Nigeria as part of the activities initiated to celebrate a low- key Black History Month in Nigeria as part of deepening partnership between Africa and its Diaspora,” the statement read.

“As part of the activities, they visited President Muhammadu Buhari and gave him a commemorative plaque for his fight against corruption and what they termed from the ‘Africania Diaspora’ a term for Africans in Diaspora for which the oldest of them all Naomi.

“Barbara King was selected to present on behalf of the family (NOT MLK CENTER) as a sign of appreciation to the Nigerian President.”