I wonder if anyone of my generation in Nigeria can say that he/she does not know Chief Gani Fawehinmi. It would be reckless for anyone to engage in such act of denial. I grew up admiring this man of courage. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, the name 'Gani Fawehinmi' featured prominently in almost every major socio-political issue of Nigeria. He was regular on newspaper headlines, and a great motivator of the civil rights movement in the country.
One of the qualities he possessed that endeared him to my heart is the fearlessness with which he stood for his noble ideals. He dared the most brutal of military dictatorship the country has witnessed.
He used the instrument of LAW to fight good causes, particularly those that directly affected the poor masses. He fought for students, oppressed groups, and he was a strong voice for the struggle of the Niger Delta people. He played down tribalism and ethnicity, and gave himself over to the cause of making Nigeria a Nation for all. He was principled, and gave apology to no one for his principles. He was a champion of his own ideals---- rule of law, undiluted democracy, all embracing and expansive social justice, and respect for the hopes and aspirations of the masses who always are the victims of misgovernance of the affairs of the Nation.
Gani Fawehinmi had the heart of a lion in all his legal tussles, as well as the philanthropic spirit of Mother Theresa in reaching out to the poor and caring for the needy and oppressed.
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The student movement in Nigeria at one time named Gani Fawehinmi as the 'Senior Advocate of the Masses' in recognition of his dogged activism for a better Nigeria. One of the landmark struggles of Gani was his determination to see that justice is done to the killers of Dele Giwa, an investigative journalist who was murdered in cold blood in 1986 under suspicious circumstances. Gani vowed to unravel the mystery behind his client's death, and this he struggled hard to achieve till death. Gani stood firmly in defense of Dele Giwa.
Gani Fawehinmi was a veteran of the court rooms and prison yards in Nigera. Time after time, he had been arrested, detained and beaten up during the era of military dictatorship in the country. Yet he refused to recant his ideals. He remain consistent till death. He has been described as, ''....the veritable conscience of the nation and the champion of the interests and causes of the masses.''
Chief Gani Oyesola Fawehinmi was not only a lawyer and activist, he was also a politician of a different breed. In 1994, together with some notable Nigerians, he formed the National Conscience Party which still exist today. On the platform of his party, he stood for the 2003 presidential election. Did he win? No.
And until Nigerians collectively stand up to ask for an Electoral Reform that will guarantee free and fair elections in the country, the likes of Gani Fawehinmi will not be allowed to reign.
Chief Gani Oyesola Fawehinmi, born on April 22, 1938, died on Saturday, September 5, 2009, after a prolonged battle with cancer. His memory and works will remain ever-green in Nigeria's civil rights movement for a very long time. His footprints on the sands of time will remain visible. And like the dream of Martin Luther King Jr., I believe that Gani's dream for Nigeria will certainly be realised someday, God willing.
Adieu, Chief Gani Oyesola Fawehinmi.
Adedayo Adetoye
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