Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has showered praises on late Gani Fawehinmi, lawyer and activist, who was a thorn in the flesh of successive administrations in Nigeria, describing him as one of the most genuine politico-social critics in the history of the country. Mr. Obasanjo was effusive in his praise of Mr. Fawehinmi just as he lampooned Nobel Laureate, Wole Soyinka, and Senator Uche Chukwumerije, describing them as self-serving activists. Writing in his new autobiography, My Watch, the former president said the late Senior Advocate of Nigeria was not just a critic of his government, but was also the counsel to his ex-wife, Remi, during the couple’s messy divorce. “Gani was to me a fearless, genuine politico-social critic, who drew no distinction between friends and associates or on ethnicity, geography or religion,” Mr. Obasanjo wrote. “He believed in what he did and did what he believed.” Mr. Obasanjo also commended Mr. Gani for always speaking up when everyone else was silent, especially on matters of injustice. He alleged that his ex-wife, Remi, sought the services of Mr. Fawehinmi in order to scandalize him as a senior military officer and a minister in government, but that he (Obasanjo) equally secured Mr. Fawehinmi’s match in Kehinde Sofola. “But that issue did not diminish my respect for Gani,” he said. Mr. Obasanjo described Mr. Fawehinmi as an advocate for the poor and the oppressed. He said the vacuum left by the late legal luminary was yet to be filled in Nigeria. Mr. Fawehinmi died on September 5, 2009, after a prolonged battle with lung cancer. He was 71.
Posted on: Wed, 17 Dec 2014 08:49:42 +0000
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