Gani: 13 Years of Exit of the People’s Lawyer

The Gani Fawehinmi Park, Ojota, Lagos today represents a point of convergence for the army of protesters against anti-people policies and actions of government.
Since the statue of Fawehinmi was unveiled by the administration of Governor Akinwumi Ambode, what was known more as Liberty Park has gradually given way to a new name, Gani Fawehinmi Park, hosting critical mass actions that had reverberated far and near.
When #OccupyNigeria took the country by storm starting from Monday 2, 2012 over the removal of fuel subsidy by the Goodluck Jonathan administration, the Liberty Park witnessed one of the most vociferous campaigns and mass actions against any government to have been witnessed in Nigeria.
So, when the Lagos State government concluded on erecting the statue of one of the nation’s most irrepressible human rights crusaders, it was only fulfilling a mission of further giving honour to whom honour was due in the fight for justice and the protection of the rights of under-privileged.
On September 5th, 2009, Fawehinmi had succumbed to death after a protracted battle with lung cancer. His demise marked a significant turn in the battle against injustice in Nigeria as he was seen as a major motivation and rallying point against oppressions by government and influential individuals.
Fawehinmi must have gone down as perhaps the most consistent fighter against anti-people policies by various governments of his time.
“Today, had Fawehinmi been alive, you would have been wondering what would be his battle zeal against policies considered to be against the ordinary Nigerians,” said Abdul Oroh, former Executive Director of the Civil Liberties Organisation and a former member, House of Representatives.
Before his death 13 years ago, Fawehinmi was detained 32 times, emerging perhaps the number one person to have been so incarcerated on the continent of Africa over his stance on socio-political and rights issues.
The litany of encounters with the law and subsequent jail times shows that Fawehinmi had been having brushes with those in power since 1969 during the civil war when he was 31 years old.
With a background that abhorred injustice, Fawehinmi was to come into limelight after his battle to protect the right of an ordinary Nigerian citizen, Bala Abashe, who was a factory worker who accused the then Secretary to the Government of Plateau-Benue, Andrew Obeya, of having affairs with his wife.
The allegation had earned Abashe some attacks leading him to seek redress. Fawehinmi’s prosecution of the case pro bono, had further enhanced his profile as what he would later be known as the “Peoples Lawyer.”
The Gowon regime was to detain Fawehinmi four more times same year in at the Jos Police station, at Ilorin Police station, and at Police Headquarters in Lagos.
During the regime of Olusegun Obasanjo, he was thrown into detention three times and during the period of Military President Ibrahim Babangida alone, he was incarcerated 17 times.
During the regime of the late Gen Sani Abacha, Fawehinmi was detained six times.
He has the painful profile of having tasted life at the nation’s most notorious detention facilities such as Gashua, Kuje, Ikoyi, Kirikiri, Jos and in Bauchi.
His childhood friend, Alhaji Yekini Adelabu, was to say in a media interview when he died that no one could have been jailed more times than his late friend.
But his spirit was never broken. Rather, he was reputed to have made administrations realize that going to detentions had become part of his life and that he was more than ever prepared for the worst.
Fawehinmi was known to have decided to carry with at all times, a bag containing his drugs, toiletries and other basic needs in preparation for any eventualities whenever security agents were ready to do their things.
Nigeria’s family of human rights crusaders believe that the late activists played his part well.
Mrs. Abiola Akiode-Afolabi, founding Director of Women Advocates Research and Documentation Center, recalling her encounter with Fawehinmi said told the NPO Reports, “I was a student union leader from the Obafemi Awolowo University, during this period we were castigated and repressed by the military.
“We had to leave school due to suspension and expulsion threats. Chief Fawehinmi was always supportive, took up cases for free. I recall when 60 students of the university were expelled, I also recall getting a promise from him as a law student to work in his chambers but after I finished my school to take up the job, he was in prison and the then head of chamber Rotimi Jacobs could not make a decision on recruiting me based on that promise.
“I was so devastated and had to look for job elsewhere. Chief was very jovial, attentive to us, was a leader. I joined in several protests led by him and other comrades. He was a father figure for most of us. Nigeria lost a great icon but his legacy remains forever.”
One of those who covered the Judiciary desk for the better part of his career as a journalist, Richard Akinnola, has fond memories of Fawehinmi.
And looking back 13 years after his exit, Akinnola is of the belief that things have gotten to a much more tragic situation in politics and economy terms that he is not sure Fawehinmi would have been worn out had he been alive.
He told NPO Reports, “If Gani were to be alive today, he would have been so heart broken about the state of things, that he would have almost got tired of Nigeria or had heart attack.”
Tayo Adesina, a professor of History at the University of Ibadan regreted that despite his doggedness in the interests of Nigerians, the people he fought and gave his life did not give him the needed support for his political dreams.
Prof Adesina said, “A much loved and a badly maligned patriot. For someone who was ready to lay down his life for his country and people, it was tragic that even the people he was fighting for never gave him the political support he needed to put on ground, the kind of structures he was fighting to build.”
Chido Onumah, a communication scholar and author of several books on Nigeria including We Are All Biafrans, said since Fawehinmi departed in 2009, no one has been able to fill his space.
Onumah believes that the late activists gave his all to the struggle for a better Nigeria.
“Gani was a quintessential advocate for the poor and down trodden. No one has been able to fill the void he left. Whether in defending students, the marginalized in society, confronting military dictatorship or irresponsible civilian governments, he was courageous and consistent. The human rights community misses him.”