Chief Gani Fawehinmi, uncompromising Human Right Activist

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by Adesoji OMOSEBI

Chief Ganiyu Oyesola Fawehinmi popularly known as GANI were he to be alive today, we would have been celebrating his 80th birthday.
Chief Gani Fawehinmi was a household name in defence of the downtrodden masses in Nigeria. He lived and died for the common man not minding what he stands to suffer.

I missed Chief Gani Fawehinmi whom I grew up to love like I loved my Dad and Mum, he was a role model and a mentor.
He will always remain at the forefront of every struggle. I got to know about GANI as a young secondary student in 1978 under the General Olusegun Obasanjoâ€™s leadership as a military head of state. Colonel Ahmadu Ali, a former PDP Chairman increased the school and meal fees and there was chaos everywhere.
The protests was led by Segun Okeowo who was then the student leader. GANI and Chief Femi Falana identified with the students on Ikorodu Road where the students were on rampage.

I got to know more of GANI when he chose to defend Ken Saro-Wiwa (The Ogoni Nine) free of charge. At his own expense he shuttled between Lagos and PortHarcourt where the Tribunal was sited almost every week.
He defended the Ogoni Activist until General Sani Abacha frustrated him out of the case. You and know what later became of Ken and other activists. They were executed by hanging November 10, 1995.
He was the Founder and Chairman of National Conscience Party, NCP to which I was glad to join as a member. I was at his Anthony Chamber looking for Gani, I met a man at the reception who bowed to shake my hand. I got to the Receptionist asking for Gani, she said he was the one that just greeted you. How could I have known that a fiery gadfly that power that be feared most can be so humble to greet a small boy of my stature. That was GANI.

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I went to his underground Law Chamber at Anthony Village seeing people, seeing books on the shelves. I was just wondering what was GANI looking for, he was rich and comfortable. He chose to give his entire life serving the masses.
Not many people knew that GANI was highly emotional, a times he cried like a baby when he saw the extent at which people are suffering.
It was unfortunate that the people whom GANI lived and died for jettisoned him when he needed them most at the polls which showed that Nigerians may still remain in a circle for a long time to come.

Nigerians will only support those who will increase their sufferings and always reject their God sent leaders.
We rejected Chief Obafemi Awolowo, General Murtala Muhammed only spent six months in office while Chief Moshood Abiola was killed before he could get to the exalted position.
When Chief Gani’s 14-year old first child asked for his dad’s support to go to the Nigeria Defence Academy taking the NDA’s form to his father to sign, Chief Gani left the form, reached for the cane and flogged the young man for planning to join his tormentors.
From Kaduna prison to Jos prison, from Gombe prison to portharcourt prison, from Kuje prison to Ikoyi prison, Chief Gani Fawehinmi was the most jailed human right activist from Nigeria.

For raising his voice against injustice, his books were confiscated, his library set ablaze, his house and chambers were always raided and he was assaulted on Mobolaji Bank Anthony Way in Lagos by Naval officers.
His travails from security agents never dissuaded him from defending the poor and the weak in the society.
“I defended the students of University of Ibadan in 1971 when one of the students, Kunle Adepeju, was shot dead by the police under Gowonâ€™s regime and the government of the day set up a Commission of enquiry headed by Justice B. O. Kazim and I represented the students for 5 months in that tribunal of enquiry. In 1976, I defended the students of University of Benin against the wrath of the military government. In 1983, under Shehu Shagari, there was a peaceful demonstration by more than 4000 students of the University of Maiduguri against the misdirected high handedness of the leadership of Professor Jubril Aminu, (former Nigerian Ambassador to the U.S.) Several students were expelled and their education illegally truncated. I fought to the Supreme Court to obtain victory. This is just to mention few of my struggles for justice.” Gani recalled.

They always came for him. He was arrested on his 50th birthday.
“I witnessed one of the times they came to arrest him in the house. They were about armed 20 policemen. It was as if they were coming to take a criminal and they brought a big Black Maria. He told them, â€˜Gentlemen how are you? Are you ready?â€™ He told my mum to take care of us and he followed them” His daughter, Idiat recalled.
Due to incessant arrest Chief Gani always kept a bag with toothpaste, toothbrush and the Qur’an with him-always ready for jail.
When he was asked the possibility of defending Ralph Uwazurike he said:
“If am approached by Uwazurike to take up his case, I will fly straight to wherever he is or, if I cannot go there by air, I will go there by road. If I cannot go there by road, I will trek to defend his right to hold an opinion because freedom of speech is a fundamental right. Because he has the right to pursue any objective and if they feel that his objective is criminal, then he has the right to defend himself in the court of law and we shall defend the issue of his fundamental rights”
Chief Gani was Unbiased, detribalized and unsentimental patriot. When her own daughter was working in his Chambers, she either resumed before/at 7am or be locked outside the gate like every latecomer.

Chief Gani’s lung began to deteriorate while doctors were busy focusing on his heart and blood pressure. It got so bad that he called his cardiologist, Dr Mike Fadayomi, his childhood friend from the age of four. He is one of the best cardiologist in this world. He directed Chief Gani to a radiologist to do the X-ray first. When he (radiologist) came with the wet X-ray and showed it to Gani and Fadayomi, the cardiologist shouted;
“Gani something dangerous is wrong with your left lung. You must run to London. I don’t understand this”
When Chief Gani got to London the doctors told him that he was among the 5% patients in the world who don’t smoke or drink and yet had lung cancer.
Gani narrated his ordeals to the doctors in London and one of them hinted that his “horrible detention” must have triggered the lung failure.
The human right activist was asked to prepare for the worst and Gani wept.

To prevent politicians from “hijacking” his burial, Gani bought his casket while alive and made cash available for his funeral with instructions to his children about how he liked his funeral to be.
Chief Gani Fawehinmi literally lost his voice to the ravaging lung cancer before his Sun finally set on 9th September 2009. And Nigeria hasn’t been able to find a replacement for that voice of justice and courage till date.
Let’s celebrate another selfless Nigerian
A rebel with a cause
A legal icon
A symbol of justice
And OUR HERO, Chief Ganiyu Oyesola Fawehinmi

Chief Gani Fawehinmi, the unrepentant, uncompromising Human Right Activist Nigeria ever produced

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