
He bestrode the nation’s social and political landscape like a colossus perching on the wings of law in his struggle to free the oppressed and the voiceless. He stood unequaled among his contemporaries for he was a constant thorn in the flesh to irresponsible leaders at a time when others were unconcerned, some others fled.
Gani Fawehinmi (SAN), is no more and its hard to say goodbye. It is hard to accept that we don’t have our Gani with us again.
This was a man who was honoured as Senior Advocate of the Masses (SAM) when the power that be were reluctant to give him his well deserved honour as a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN). For Gani, no oppression was too trivial to overlook, none too big to fight, no leader too fearful to engage. He became nightmare to dictators. From Gowon to Obasanjo,Buhari, Babangida and Sani Abacha, he fought the establishment tooth and nail for the emancipation of the masses and in consequence faced torture, incarceration and all forms of inhuman treatment such that no Nigerian activist living or dead match his detention record. The cancer that eventually took his life cannot be unconnected to the inhuman treatments meted out on him in prison.
Gani, a recipient of many national and international awards such as the international bars association’s Bernard Simmons award one again demonstrated his sense of purpose when he rejected the national award offered him by president Yar’adua in protest against years of misrule since 1960.
Gani lived a fulfilled life, he was consistent with his creed and left a legacy for us all. Now that he’s gone, may his legacy live on.
Adieu, Gani. May you rest in perfect peace and we achieve your dream Nigeria which you lived and died for.