Federal Republic of Nigeria human rights lawyer, the late Gani Fawehinmi. He has been honored for his contributions to democracy and transparency., a photo by Pan-African News Wire File Photos on Flickr.
Fayemi, David-West, others remember Fawehinmi
FRIDAY, 06 SEPTEMBER 2013 00:00
BY TUNDE AKINOLA AND OLUFIKAYO ADEOLA
Nigerian Guardian
EMINENT Nigerians, including Governor Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti State and former Petroleum Minister, Prof. Tam David-West Thursday remembered the late human rights crusader and frontline lawyer, Chief Gani Fawehinmi in Lagos.
At the event tagged Fourth Gani Fawehinmi Memorial Lecture, Fayemi described the intention to celebrate the centenary anniversary of the country’s amalgamation as a way of commemorating the “genius” of British colonialism.
According to Fayemi, imperialism is responsible for the decadence in Africa’s cultural system and was the cause of the crises bedeviling Nigeria’s ethos and value systems.
The governor said instead of venturing into the celebration, Nigerians should rather see it as a time for sober reflection.
Fayemi, who was represented by Ekiti State’s Commissioner for Integration and Intergovernmental Affairs, Funminiyi Afuye, said the centenary celebration should necessitate the evaluation of the Nigerian state in terms of its federalism, the need for better regimes of devolution of state powers, fiscal responsibility and responsiveness.
“This could take the form of conferences, symposia, national reorientation programmes and so on. Besides, how worthy is a sense of celebration that re-enacts an insidious imperialism, the problems of which persist till date in such a crucial issue of identity as in the language question, whereby English has successfully displaced our local languages as authentic vehicles of national communication and identity and maintains an hierarchical relationship to them,” Fayemi asked.
He said the unanswered questions in the country could only be addressed through a national dialogue, “before Nigeria can attain real democratic consolidation, effective governance and a sense of community. These are essential concerns that need to be contemplated and addressed at this very critical juncture of our history in order to make the Nigeria centenary worth its advent.”
Also, former Minister of Petroleum, Professor Tam David-West bemoaned the state of the country’s economy, saying it has not been managed in a way that would benefit the masses of the country.
According to David-West, “Our economy is weak, whoever says we are doing good economically is a liar that deserves to be punished by God. If our economy is strong, why would the country find it difficult to pay the N18,000 minimum wage? Any government that does not focus on the plight of the masses should be punished by God”.
President, Campaign for Democracy, Dr. Joe Okei-Odumakin, encouraged Nigerians to emulate the virtues of the late human rights crusader, saying that is the only way to immortalise him.
“Gani Fawehinmi belongs to a select class of very few mortals worldwide who are instantly recognised by the first names. It is a most apt remark for the name, whenever it is called it leaves no doubt as to whom is being referred to. It is painful talking about Gani in the past, having known him for two decades,” Okei-Odumakin said.
Fawehinmi’s widow, Ganiyat, said everything her husband said is now coming to play. “For instance, he was talking about bombing. When Dele Giwa was bombed through a letter, he said that if care was not taken and if Nigerians did not cry out loud and clear, it would become a daily occurrence and now it has become a daily occurrence.
“He said we should take our destiny into our own hands by telling our leaders what we want and if they don’t listen we should go to the street and fight for it. I believe he will not die in vain, this is one of the meetings and you can see people from all walks of life that have been with us fighting for the Nigerian people,” she said.
According to the National Chairman, National Conscience Party (NCP), Dr. Tanko Yunusa, Fawehinmi was an honest and consistent advocate of the masses.
“He was somebody who believed that every Nigerian and every human being is equal to each other. Somebody who has shown love to every diverse society in this country, he has worked so hard with what he earned and even in his death, he’s still giving to the poor, that is the description,” Yunusa said.
Fawehinmi’s son, Mohammed described his father as a gift to the country.
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