The family of late fiery lawyer, Chief Gani Fawehinmi, has turned down the Centenary Award posthumously offered the activist by the Federal Government.
The family, in a statement signed by the son of Fawehinmi, Mohammed, said several reasons accounted for the decision to turn down the offer.
Chief among this is the decision of the Federal Government to also honour Nigeria’s former Military President, retired General Ibrahim Babangida.
Mohammed said it would be a dishonour for Fawehinmi to receive an award on the same platform with Babangida, who incarcerated their father and sprayed his cell with substances that made him to develop lung cancer, which eventually led to his death.
Mohammed equally said that with the crisis in the country, especially the killing by Boko Haram of several students in Yobe State in the last 48 hours, and the abduction of 20 girls in Borno State, it was not time for Nigeria to engage in any sort of celebration.
The letter, which was addressed to the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator Anyim Pius Anyim, equally said that with the huge corruption in the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation that was exposed by the suspended Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Mallam Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, and his subsequent removal by President Goodluck Jonathan, the late Fawehinmi would not have identified with the awards since he abhorred misappropriation of funds.
The Fawehinmis also said the celebration of the centenary of Nigeria was a wasteful venture as huge sums had been budgeted for the programmes whereas a lot of Nigerians are living in poverty.
Mohammed concluded: “Sir, for these reasons, our family respectfully declines to receive the award about to be conferred on our late father by the government.”
The letter reads in full:
February 27, 2014
Chief Anyim Pius Anyim,
Secretary to the Federal Government of Nigeria,
Presidency,
Abuja
Dear Sir,
RE:CENTENARY AWARD TO OUR LATE FATHER, CHIEF GANI FAWEHINMI(SAN)
We acknowledge the receipt of your letter, dated February 24, 2014, which was routed through Mr Tony Akiotu, Group Managing Director, DAAR Communications, Abuja, wherein our late father, Chief Gani Fawehinmi (SAN) was chosen as one of the awardees of the Centenary celebrations of Nigeria by President Goodluck Jonathan.
We want thank the Federal Government for considering our late father for this HONOUR.
However, for reasons stated here under, our family has decided it would be inexpedient to accept the award:
1. In the list of the awardees published by the Federal Government, was the name of former military dictator, General Ibrahim Babangida, who as military president, severally detained and tortured our late father. In the course of one of such illegal and inhuman detentions, our late father’s cell was sprayed with toxic substances while in Gashua prison in 1987. The cumulative effect of that dastardly action led to our father, a non- smoker, contracting lung cancer which eventually led to his death on September 5, 2009. We therefore, find it morally incongruous and psychologically debilitating for our family to stand on the same podium with General Babangida to receive awards.
2. Our late father was empathetic to the sufferings of our people, particularly students. In the last 72 hours, 59 innocent students were mowed down by the blood- thirsty Boko Haram terrorists in Yobe state, while 20 other girls were similarly abducted by these same band of terrorists. These girls are still in captivity while their fate is unknown. If our late father were to be alive, would he be wining and dining with all the glitterati at a Centenary celebration under these circumstances? Certainly no.
3. In the past few weeks, the polity has been assaulted with putrid odour of corruption with the alleged $20 billion missing in NNPC, a development that became the Archilles heel of Mallam Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, the suspended Governor of Central Bank. As an anti-corruption activist, if he were to be alive, our late father would have confronted the issue head-long and possibly gone to court. With the issue still raging, would our late father have accepted this award at this critical moment? Certainly no.
4. Our late father was unrepentantly for the UNITY of Nigeria. However, with the level of profligacy in some of the events celebrating NIGERIA’S Centenary, our late father would have prefered these multi- million Naira expenditures channelled to our decrepit Teaching hospitals, than unproductive razzmatazz that do not improve the socio-Economic well being of our people.
Sir, for these reasons, our family respectfully declines to receive the award about to be conferred on our late father by the government.
Please, accept the assurances of our highest consideration.
Long live Federal Republic of Nigeria.
(Signed)
Mohammed Fawehinmi
(For and on behalf of late Gani Fawehinmi family).