By Samuel Okike
Claim
The Black History Month National Black Excellence and Exceptional African Leadership Award conferred on President Muhammadu Buhari by Martin Luther King Jr’s family is a scam.
Origin
On Tuesday, March 27, the Presidency tweeted that President Buhari hosted some members of Martin Luther King Jr’s family at the State House where they conferred on him the 1st Black History Month National Black Excellence and Exceptional African Leadership Award 2018.
However, late Wednesday, The Kings Center, the only recognized memorial of Martin Luther King Jr founded by his late wife, Coretta Scott King, distanced itself from the award, stating that neither its founders nor other children of the late American civil rights activist knew anything about it.
This disclosure sparked mixed reactions on social media, raising the question of whether or not the award presented to President Buhari was authentic.
Leaders NG also commented that the award “was part of the ongoing PR stunt to launder president Buhari’s image was not on official portals that was opened strictly to promote the 50th anniversary of Martin Luther king’s assassination.”
The Facts
It is true that the award was not presented by The Kings Center, however, it was privately presented by some distant relatives of Martin Luther King Jr including Dr. Naomi King and Isaac Newton Farris Jr.
Dr. Naomi Barber King was married to MLK Jr’s younger brother Alfred Daniel Williams “A. D.” King, a Baptist minister and civil rights activist, before he died in an accidental drowning in 1969, 15 months after the death of MLK Jr.
She was also a civil rights activist and founded the A.D. King Foundation in 2008.
Isaac Newton Farris Jr, on the other hand, is son to Willie Christine King Farris the eldest and only living sibling of Martin Luther King Jr. Christine King was Vice Chair and Treasurer of the King Center for many years.
Isaac Farris Jr was also President and CEO of the King Center between 2005 and 2010, before becoming President of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference.
Abike Dabiri-Erewa, President Buhari’s special assistant on diaspora affairs, has also stated amid the confusion that “as part of the activities initiated to celebrate a low-key Black History Month in Nigeria,” the award was presented to President Buhari “on behalf of the family (NOT MLK CENTER).”
Verdict: Mostly False
Although the award was not conferred on President Buhari by The King Center, the recognized organization MLK Jr related activities, the facts show that the award is, nonetheless, real — given the context that it was done independently by selected members of Martin Luther King Jr’s family.
Sources
http://www.thekingcenter.org/about-king-center
http://www.adkingfoundation.com/aboutnaomi/
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christine_King_Farris
http://isaacnewtonfarris.com/about-me/
https://amp.pulse.ng/news/local/which-mlk-family-gave-buhari-disregarded-leadership-award-id8182352.html