Family of late Lagos-based human rights lawyer, Chief Gani Fawehinmi has asked to be left out of the list of centenary awardees to be honoured as part of activities celebrating the country’s 100 years of amalgamation.
Gani Fawehinmi was listed as one of the great Nigerians of the 100 years to be honoured, in his own case, posthumously.
Earlier, the family of late Afro-beat musician, Fela Anikulapo-Kuti had rejected the honour asking the Federal Government to apologise for the killing their grandmother and razing down of Kalakuta Republic.
In a statement by the Gani Fawehinmi family, accompanied by a letter to Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Anyim Pious Anyim, signed by the late lawyer’s eldest son and dated 27th February 2014, the family said one of the reasons for the decision to reject the award is the Federal Government’s decision to also honour General Ibrahim Babangida, who is considered to have caused some of the country’s challenges.
Babangida, apart from being accused of masterminding the death of late Dele Giwa, also incarcerated the late Fawehinmi and sprayed his cell with substances that are believed to have caused the lung cancer that resulted in his death.
Mohammed further disclosed that were his father alive, he would reject the honour because it is inhumane to celebrate while the Boko Haram sect is attacking, killing people, abducting women and destroying properties.
Apart from this, the huge scandal rocking the oil industry, especially the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and the subsequent suspension of Lamido Sanusi Lamido, for blowing the whistle was also cited by the Fawehinmi family as a reason for rejecting the award.
Read the full letter below:
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 this 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).
