Browsing: Chief Gani Fawehinmi

When I first joined the Chambers of iconic and unforgettable Gani in 1981 on part time basis,  Mohammed was a little 12-year-old, giggling, starry-eyed boy in his nascent years in the secondary school. Initially, this was at 28, Sabiu Ajose Crescent, Surulere, Lagos. Later, Gani moved to his world-class Chambers and Library at Ajao, Anthony Village, Lagos, taking along his family to his new residence at Ademola Close, GRA, Ikeja, Lagos.

 More than any time, since the end of the Nigerian civil war in 1970, the survival of the country as a united nation is being threatened. Although, at all times, there were issues that reminded us of our divisive backgrounds, often manifesting in terms of political demands by sections of the country, this is the first time Nigeria is experiencing secessionist agitations from two groups from two sections of the country – Nnamdi Kanu’s group in the South-East and Sunday Igboho’s in the South-West. These are agitations, which have assumed the forms of civil disobedience and in the case of Nnamdi Kanu’s group in South-East, it has graduated to rebellion against the Nigerian state, resulting in attacks on police stations, kidnappings and killings of security personnel and other functionaries of government as well as destructions of government structures.

Otherwise, how else can anyone describe the deceitful and hypocritical action taken by him when he renamed June 12, the new Democracy Day after celebrating this year’s democracy day on May 29, 2018 and the presumed winner of that inconclusive election, the late Chief MKO Abiola, conferred with the highest national honour in the land, the GCFR, an honour reserved only for former Heads of States of the Federal Republic of Nigeria!