SEGUN KASALI was at the 18th Gani Fawehinmi Lecture hosted by the Ikeja Bar Association where the man, his ideas and ideals became a national conversation on law as an instrument of social justice.
The national body of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) is seeking to spread the Gani Fawehinmi gospel by taking over the annual speaking event in the honour of the late legal icon, whose ideals for nation building and law as a weapon of social justice, are being yearly examined and propagated by those sold on them.
The event, which, has so far, remained a local affair of the Ikeja branch of the lawyers’ body, is now set to go national as promised by the President of the Bar, Mr. Olumide Akpata, at the 18th edition of the lecture.
The weekend gathering saw legal and academia heavyweights gather, to once again, examine what Gani stood for and how beneficial those principles could be to the country as a whole and governance as a structured system.
Akpata disclosed that all needed to make the next edition of the event national, was the approval of the National Executive Council (NEC) of the association, which he heads.
Speaking on how to connect the present to what Gani stood for, Akpata noted that Nigerians are following the direction of their leaders, urging the masses to go to the polls and elect worthy leaders like Fawehinmi, who defended and fought for the society as well as the enthronement of good governance.
“Bad leadership has helped to destroy followership. If we start with enthroning good leadership, the followers will follow. All the followers need to do now is to be part of that process of enthroning good leadership. Get your voter’s card and participate in the election. Let us go out there and ensure that we actually put in place good leadership through the ballot box.
“I will therefore be proposing to the national executive council of the NBA that going forward, the Chief Gani Fawehinmi Annual Lecture becomes a national NBA event. Chief Gani Fawehinmi stood tall and stood out. We need more people like Gani and the way to ensure that happens is to continue to reminisce the past and life history of Gani Fawehinmi,” Akpata disclosed.
Our Stand
Senior lawyers took turns at the event to use the Gani’s template for a new Nigeria.
Deacon Dele Adesina, two-time NBA presidential candidate and a former national officer of the lawyers’ body reminisced on Gani’s peculiarity. He said, “If he wanted to tell you his name, he would start from the name of his mother and father. Gani was a man of many dimensions. He was a hard worker. He was an epitome of justice. He spoke truth to power all the time.
He also concurred with Akpata on the leadership challenge, noting that leadership and following are the major determinants of nation building, with the former principally responsible for what becomes of a society.
Adeshina explained that no nation could go beyond its leadership, because the operational environment for the followers is provided by the leaders and argued that then, that all eyes must always be on the leadership and what needed to be said per time, must be said, about such leadership.
“The job of building a nation rests on both leadership and followership but principally on the leadership. No nation can go beyond the leadership. The leadership provides the enabling environment for the followers,” he said.
The learned silk described Gani as a man of many dimensions, hardworking, epitome of justice and someone not known to be economical with the truth.
Another Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Professor Oluwole Smith expressed disappointment in Gani’s ideals not being practised, saying he remains reference point for unity and development.
He, therefore, called on well-meaning Nigerians to start living and promoting the values the late lawyer stood for.
“We were taught the virtues of Gani Fawehinmi. We have disappointed the reasonable expectations of our people. He remains a point of reference towards unity and development. The annual lecture is well deserving and kudos to the organiser for this remarkable idea.
“It is a clarion call. What do we do about it? Shall we sit down and continue to stomach all the rot in the system. The National Assembly; do we have enough laws to take care of the welfare of our people?” he asked rhetorically.
Also speaking, the Chairman, Section of Public Interest and Development Law (SPIDEL), Nigerian Bar Association, Dr. Monday Ubani said the late legal luminary lived all his life for good governance, justice and equity for the oppressed.
Ubani, a former national leader of the NBA and a self-confessed follower of Gani, said there was no replacement yet for his idol and leader, adding that “Gani lived all his life about good governance, justice and equity fighting for the oppressed.
Digging deeper into the Gani legend, Ubani said, “I think the NBA Ikeja Branch this year looked at the struggles of Gani Fawehinmi and how far we have gone as a nation enthroning good governance. Gani fought for good governance all the days of his lives. I don’t think we have got a replacement for Gani yet.
“Some of us who are his followers are only trying but there is no person like Gani in terms of belief and conviction. Irrespective of opposition, he would go for it, if he believes in it. He was not a tribalist. You won’t believe that the best person Gani trusted was an Igbo man. He was the greatest Nigerian to have emerged,” he emphasised.
Notable rights activist, Aisha Yesufu said strict adherence to the features of good governance is the solution to Nigeria’s problems. She identified participation, equity and inclusion, responsiveness, efficiency, transparency and accountability as the characteristics of good governance, calling for firm believers in the Nigeria Project, to lift the country above its shackles.
“Do we have governance in place? We need people who believe in the nation,” Yesufu stated.
The lecture, the lessons
The lecture series over the years has seen scholars and lawyers deliver strong messages through the platform with Borno State governor, Professor Babagana Zulum taking the podium for the 17th edition. It was another scholar in Professor Labode Popoola of Forest Economics and Sustainable Development of the University of Ibadan that took charge this year, with the theme. “The Imperative of Good Governance and the Struggles of Chief Gani Fawehinmi, SAN: Wither Nigeria?”
According to the lecturer, Gani Fawehinmi was a detribalized Nigerian till death, citing his chambers’ workforce as a conglomeration of people from different ethnic backgrounds in his lifetime.
“Fawehinmi was a detribalized Nigerian till death. I am aware of the workforce of his chambers comprised people of different ethnic backgrounds in his lifetime. He had people from west, east, south and north working in his firm, a private organisation; another evidence of his true patriotism.
“Today, we worsen the problem of this country by being superfluously tribe-centric. We prefer ethnic patronage over merit and competence. Even in the use of public funds in public institutions, many Nigerians jettison merit for ethnic patronage.
“We use our privileged public positions to site institutions and projects at the most unfit locations and use double the money to fund unnecessary logistical services and avoidable amenities. Governance is now largely driven by representation as against meritocracy” the university don recalled.
As a change agent, Gani, according to the “lecturer” had no record of stain. With pride, he noted that “The late Fawehinmi was not in any case linked to corruption and corrupt practices. He maintained the dignity of a respectable, disciplined and uncompromising professional legal practitioner to the end. As a legal practitioner, he made his money through ingenious ways and without any dependence on public funds.
“The late Fawehinmi was a man of impact and an ardent lover of the common people. He showed this all his life and ensured the continuity of his support for the weak even after his death. Fawehinmi instituted the special support scheme for the poor, orphans and widows.
“From some quarters, Nigeria is too large in size; for some, it is too populous to be governed by one person. And for some, the different constituents of Nigeria are not too socio-culturally compatible. For all these arguments, there are counter arguments. Yet, in terms of ethnic diversity, Nigeria is ranked 18th globally with such countries as Tanzania, South Africa, India, Papau New Guinea being more ethnically diverse,” he explained.
Convinced it was time to rescue Nigeria and avoid the pitfall of the past, the academic called compatriots to action. “I challenge all of us to raise our voices against this cankerworm of corruption that has been eaten deep into the fabric of society. There is a general notion that we are not doing enough in condemning obvious infractions on our commonwealth.
“We should demand good governance, responsiveness, integrity, fiscal discipline and responsibility, which will enable political office holders to fulfill their own part of the social contract. We should also ensure that the elite do not derail the march towards a decent country and sustainable future as they did in 1985,” he concluded.