In the historical trajectory of nations, it is as though in the course of events, God Almighty, in the spirit of benevolence, interrupts the folly and the foibles of men to right wrongs and set nations on the path of renaissance, often sends avatars, prophets, seers and visioners to give guidance, warnings or to chart the path for increased liberty for the majority.
A cursory glance down recorded history of nations across the world will validate my claims. In biblical history for instance, we have learnt of the travails under which the Hebrews labored – in servitude to the Egyptians. The servitude continued until providence intervened in the person of Moses, who became liberator and emancipator of his people.
Indeed, biblical history is replete with accounts of men and women who, in the role of prophets and seers, emerged time and again, to guide, as it were, the erring ship of the Hebrew nation which was want to flounder at the hands of rebellious kings of old. The prophets – Jeremiah, Isaiah, Nathan, and a host of many others were fiery, bold and uncompromising in their chastising of royalty and common folk, as they spoke truth to power, guiding the ruler and the ruled alike.
When the nation of Israel was in disarray and spiritual darkness seemed to permeate the land, when there was hopelessness occasioned by the Roman’s occupation of Jerusalem, when Herod Agrippa, the King was playing god over the people, Jesus Christ came like a meteor to be the Messiah. In compassion, He made the lame to walk, blind to see, the infirm, He made whole; He fed the hungry, set the spiritual captives free.
Islamic history also reveals how the emergence of Prophet Mohammed (SAW) brought order, justice, emancipation, and enlightenment to the aboriginal people of the Middle East who hitherto had existed in a state of darkness, anarchy and feudalism.
Secular history also records the role played by avatars – champions of justice, equity, truth, and liberty. This was perhaps first exemplified by the philosopher Socrates who will forever be known as the father of insightful thinking. His teachings on philosophy and integrity were so revolutionary that the elders and powers that be of his era felt so threatened that he was accused of corrupting the youth, tried, found guilty, and was dispatched with a poisonous drink of hemlock.
Space will not permit me to go into a recital of the many heroes of integrity who have, in our history as a species, held aloft the light of integrity and doing so, illuminated the dark corridors of human society and the dark corners of the human heart. Space would also not permit me to go into the travails that their stand for truth, integrity and righteousness earned them in a world sold on ignorance, duplicity and hypocrisy.
One of such people have worked for the progress of humanity is late Chief Gani Oyesola Fawehinmi, who sojourned in our world for 71 years after he came visiting on April 22, 1938, and was translated to the great beyond on the September 5, 2009.
Fawehinmi, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Senior Advocate of the Masses (SAM), Teacher, Advocate, Crusader, Activist, Social Critic, one-time presidential aspirant and Hero Extraordinaire, will forever remain an exemplar of what it means to truly be ‘A Man of The People,’ and an avatar of the ideals of equal rights, justice and liberty in our country.
It is my intention to examine the man who, in his time, was a light unto our nation, a light that burned fiercely and was a terror to the denizens of darkness who sought to keep us in perpetual bondage, in a web of deceit, oppression and grand larceny. When I recollect his days during the military occupation of our nation, I am forced to ask the question -What would Gani have done with the current political realities in the country were he alive today?
The Gani that I knew, that we all agree was an epitome of integrity, whose conduct was in total harmony with the words that he spoke, one who walked his talk always, was a stickler for justice, who continually championed the cause of justice for Nigerians everywhere, in a bid to prove to the oppressor and the oppressed that everyone can, through relentless determination, pursue and obtain justice regardless of the odds arrayed against us.
The above mentioned virtues are the enduring foundations of any truly egalitarian society; this was first posited in 1790 by Maximilien Robespierre, a torchbearer of the French Revolution, who devised the democratic ideal for the French Republic and suggested as motto, the ideals, “Libertaire, Egalitaire and Fraternitaire” meaning liberty, equality, and fraternity. Like Robespierre, our man, our guide and our light, Gani esteemed these three values as even dearer than life itself during his life, and he did prove this several times, in his confrontation with the forces of oppression across our land.
Indeed, for Gani, the maxim: “The law must be the same for all, whether it protects or punishes; all citizens being equal in its eyes,” was holy writ, and his conduct amongst us showed that he believed this with every fibre of his being, and lived it out every day that he drew breath here.
It is often said that only those who have walked in your shoes can have the ability to feel the pain and truly empathise with you. Gani’s path to legal luminescence was paved with much hardship due to lack of financial ability. Regardless of this, he endured and completed his studies in London. Perhaps this informed his love for the under-privileged and his obsessive philanthropy which saw many Nigerians depending on him – for subsistence and for advancement through education.
Such was his influence and his contributions to the struggle for a truly free humanity that in 1993, he was awarded the prestigious Bruno Kreisky Prize, instituted for international figures who have worked arduously to advance human rights causes. The International Bar Association also awarded him the Bernard Simmons Award in recognition of his human rights and pro-democracy contributions in 1998. Indeed, it is safe to say that without the contributions of Gani and a few others like him, the democracy we have today would have remained a mirage, a fantasy, a dream, and a fleeting illusion to be pursued and never attained.
His stance earned him much travail reminiscent of the travails of the Apostle Paul in the holy book. Like Paul, Gani was a servant of providence and was also a unique kind of builder – one who sought to build a new society – a new Nigeria founded on the tenets of human rights, justice and equity for all.
We are glad that the seeds of the struggle for emancipation sown by this great man have paid off. We can look back to where we were as a nation – under the jackboots of various military leaders, a pariah amongst the comity of nations, and feel thankful for the sacrifice offered by our avatar. We know we have come a long way from the days of arbitrary rule, decrees, terror, detentions and state sponsored killings.
We have come a long way from the days of martial music and early morning announcements of “My fellow Nigerians.” For this, we are grateful to the Almighty, and to those whom He used to lead us out of the dark into the ever-shining light. As a nation, we know where we are headed, we know where we are. It is however, pertinent that we pause, and take stock of the things achieved, and the distance we still have to go.
I have taken the liberty to attempt to answer a few questions that are begging for answers as regards the current political realities in the country – What would Gani have done in the face of the sometimes comic absurdities foisted upon us by those we have elected to legislate and to execute laws on our behalf? What would he have done in the face of a lop-sided war against corruption that appears to target only those so designated?
What would Gani have done – in the face of the seeming unfolding agenda by a section of the nation to treat other regions as occupied territories and spoils of war? What would he have done – as politics of ‘Ghana-Must-Go’ continues to trump politics of ideology, thereby relegating to the background, capable hands that cannot compete with political heavyweights who are armed with filthy lucre pilfered from the state purse? What would Gani have done – as it appears increasingly clear that the liberty he fought for has been hijacked by politicians?
On this auspicious day that celebrates the life and times of our legend, I make bold to say that the Gani I knew would not merely fold his arms and wail in helplessness. He would not also have kept mute in the unfounded hope of some measly appointment or patronage or wait for mobilisation fund from international donors as as some of our modern day, self-styled human rights activists are doing.
I am convinced that that fierce crusader, activist and liberator would have done only what he knew best to do: renew the fight for the liberty of the land that he loved with the only instrument that he knew how to wield: the law. I believe that that unrelenting spirit would not give up or compromise halfway to Zion, as some appear to have done as they have traded the struggle for a piece of the national cake.
On this day, as we honour the man who shone as a light while he walked amidst us, I implore us to reach for that same light that he lifted up so bravely, and continue the good fight, for justice and equity, and fear no darkness. The onus lies on us who remain, to stretch forth our hands to the plough and carry on the good work of building a just and true Nigeria.
As I give tribute once again to this legend I implore us all to draw lessons from the life and times of this giant of humanity who in his time, exemplified with true candour, the finer virtues of integrity, courage and compassion. May we find the strength of mind and character of spirit to fulfill the words of our National Anthem: “The labours of our heroes past shall never be in vain.”
Barrister Kayode Olukayode Ajulo, wrote in from Abuja
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