By Aisha Lawal
Gani fawehimi, a man who helped and paved the way for many Nigerians because of his strong sense of justice against corruption and abuse of power. He was born on the 22nd of April 1938 to Chief Saheed and Munirat Fawehinmi.
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He grew up with his family in Ondo state. He was a very hardworking and obedient boy to his parents. When in college, he was nicknamed “nation” because of his interest in politics and national affairs. He was also an avid reader of daily times and West African Pilot, the prominent newspaper of that time.
While he was studying law at Holborn College at Law in the university of London, his father died leaving him with financial difficulties. He took on different jobs to complete his education because he was determined to become what he always wanted to become in the future, a lawyer.
After a period of shifting between multiple jobs, he was able to complete his studies in London and came back to Nigeria. He attended Nigerian Law School and was called to bar in 1965. He gained publicity when he took a case of an affair against a factory worker’s wife and a government officer.
He was told and threatened to drop the case but he refused and eventually brought the truth to light which resulted in the removal of the government official but Gani a 9 months detainment in prison.
Unknown to Gani this was a beginning and stepping stone for his career as this made him more known to the public at large. During the era of the Buhari regime, the lawyers were instructed not to defend individuals accused of stealing public money before a military tribunal. But he still refused because he believed everyone has a fair right to hearing.
He was determined to bring justice to light and even defend an accused person. He was willing to go far to bring the truth to light even though he will face consequences for his actions, he didn”t stop believing in his beliefs and bringing justice to light.
Chief Gani Fawehimi
He faced a lot of court charges and was detained multiple times, but it did not stop him from bringing down corrupt government officials and helping the poor and oppressed.
He was called the “ people’s president” because he didn’t steal from the poor and brought the truth to light, which helped a lot of Nigerians during the military regime. There were a lot of challenges he faced from the military such as his library being set ablaze, some of his books being restricted from production and he was detained a lot of times from 1969 to 1996.
But this didn’t stop him from revealing the truth and setting the innocent free from military oppression. He built his own library which houses a lot of books and newspapers as early as 1970’s and cannot be found in any other library in Nigeria.
Because of his honest virtue and righteousness, he was awarded multiple awards, one being the Bruno Kreisky and Bernard Simmons awards, because of his active participation in speaking for the people and fighting for human rights. He died on the 5th of September.
Though gone, he will be forever remembered because of his selfless dedication in protecting the citizens from harsh military rule and his contribution to creating a better Nigeria for oppressed citizens. He also showed that honesty and a good sense of justice can go a long way and also help other individuals subjected to injustice.
MORAL LESSONS:
One should always speak the truth regardless of the consequences behind it, because at the end of the day, the truth shall set you free. One should not keep quiet in the face of injustice and should speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves. Everyone has equal rights, and one should also know their rights so as not to face oppression.
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