The Man is Good
By Anthony Akaeze
Sunday, April 27, 2008
Eminent Nigerians and lawyers celebrate Gani Fawehinmi, legal icon, who turned 70 recently
The audience was made up of the high and the low in the society. The venue was the imperial Hall at Ikeja Lagos and the event was the 70th anniversary lecture of Gani Fawehinmi, SAN, frontline lawyer and human rights crusader who has over the years become known as an advocate of the rights of the masses. The event was organised by the Alumni Association of Gani Fawehinmi chambers - of men and women who have had the privilege of passing through Fawehinmi's chambers, described as "furnace of fire" by Mike Ozokhome, a member of the alumni.
Mohammed Lawal Uwais, former chief justice of Nigeria was one of those who graced the occasion. He informed the gathering that he came uninvited because of the respect he had for Fawehinmi, having read about the event in the newspaper. The event itself was flagged off by Yemi Osibajo, a professor of Law and former attorney-general of Lagos State who was one of the guest speakers at the occasion.
Osinbajo said he was deeply honoured to talk about "a man who had the privilege of knowing how history will judge him." He recalled the history of Fawehinmi as an activist lawyer spanning 40 years, during which he fought many battles and championed many causes. One of such legal cases, said Osibajo, was the spirited effort of Fawehinmi to prosecute Colonel Halilu Akilu and Lt. Colonel A. K. Togun over the murder of Dele Giwa, founding editor-in-chief of Newswatch who was killed through a parcel bomb on October 19, 1986. He said this was at a time many people, out of fear, chose to talk in hushed tones about the incident or circumstances leading to it.
Citing some other cases the fearless lawyer had championed in his eventful career, Osibajo described Fawehinmi as a "public legal intellectual," who had earned a special place in the heart of Nigerians, hence he was honoured as a Senior Advocate of the Masses, SAM, by some university students many years ago.
Ayo Olanrewaju, a lawyer and alumni of Fawehinmi's chambers, delivered a paper on the "Evolution of the Nigerian Weekly Law Reports (NWLR)". Long considered a useful reference material by many lawyers across the country, the NWLR is the brainchild of Fawehinmi. The weekly law report was first published on October 1, 1985 and its publication was the fruit of a spirited effort by Fawehinmi to right a wrong over the inability of certain lawyers to have access to records of judgments delivered in court. According to Olanrewaju, the lawyer, many years ago, was unhappy that, between 1956 and early 1970s, the judgments of the Supreme Court were not made directly available to the generality of lawyers. With the exception of only 'six super lawyers,' others, at the time, had to wait until the judgements were published and or reported in the existing law reports then referred to as the Federal Supreme Court, FSC, then the All Nigeria Law Reports (All NLR) and later The Nigerian Monthly Law Reports, NMLR.
Fawehinmi, as is characteristic of him, challenged the decision of the courts to render the judgement of the Supreme Court only to a select few to the disadvantage of others. Having convinced lawyers across the country to sign and give consent to his plans, Fawehinmi presented a protest letter, with the list attached, to the then chief justice of Nigeria. Although nothing came out of it at the time, it later yielded fruit. The first thing Teslim Elias did, upon assumption of office as chief justice of Nigeria was to declare that the judgement of the Supreme Court was the property of every Nigerian and, therefore, every judgement should be made available to anyone who paid the prescribed fee. Today, the NWLR is, for many lawyers, a must read, and is widely considered to be one of Fawehinmi's greatest contributions to law in Nigeria in view of the wealth of information it contains.
Another paper entitled " Re-visiting "Thaetetus" Litigation as an Instrument of Socio Political Reform" written by Akin Oyebode, a professor and head of the department of Jurisprudence and International Law, University of Lagos, was also presented at the lecture. Oyebode paid tribute to Fawehinmi, saying he is an "indefatigable crusader of justice, a relentless defender of the masses and celebrated conscience of the nation whom it has pleased providence to grant the privilege of witnessing the proverbial three scores and one ten." The professor dwelt on law and social change and said that jurists were still locked in combat over the subject of whether law was an instrument of social change or not. According to Oyebode, it is necessary to properly grasp the role and scope of law in the task of social transformation, more so as we are living in a transitional society where law is called upon to perform numerous jobs. "The instrument or teleological role of law must be harnessed with broad national or societal goals, if any, in other to maximise the effectiveness of law in society. If lawyers are to perform their role as social engineers, they must fully apprehend the social functions as well as limitations of their discipline," said the university don.
For Iyabo Awokoya, one of the lawyers who had her legal tutelege under Fawehinmi's guidance, the septuagenarian is, amongst others, a trainer of lawyers and social reformer whose passion for hardwork is legendary. She noted that Fawehinmi was always spurred into action by societal problems and was eager to fight the cause of the common man using the instrumentality of the law.
Festus Keyamo, radical Lagos lawyer, recalled the efforts of Fawehinmi during the June 12 crisis. It was during that time that the National Conscience Party, NCP was formed. The choice of national conscience by Fawehinmi was well thought out, he said, and reflects the mindset of a man who believes that "good conscience nurtured by truth ought to dictate the actions of any government."
Speaker after speaker took turns to eulogise "this rare and quintessential Nigerian" who is currently in London undergoing tratement for cancer. But for Ozokhome, it was an opportunity to also tell Nigerians the other side of the man. Speaking from the perspective of one who knew Fawehinmi, Ozokhome told the gathering that although the image many people have of Fawehinmi is that of a fiery, "fire eating person," he is actually "a humble and humorous person who has a way of enlightening the court rooms with jokes no matter the tension." With Fawehinmi around, said Ozokhome, there can be no dull moment.
Moronkeji Onalaja, a retired justice of the Court of Appeal and current chairman, Council of Legal Education in Nigeria, led the cutting of the birthday cake in honour of Fawehinmi amidst "one love, keep us together" music by Onyeka Onwenu, who also came to pay homage to the 'birthday boy,' Fawehinmi. Describing Fawehinmi as the Thurgood Marshall of Nigeria, after the legendary African American lawyer who reportedly won 92 of his 94 cases, Onalaja said, at the time Fawehinmi was being considered for appointment as a SAN, there was no single opposition, something he considered unprecedented-but unsurprising - considering that people already knew his antecedent. "He is God's special gift to Nigeria," he said.
The praises were lavish, but as far as Gabriel Osu, a monsignor and director of Communication, in the Catholic Archdiocese of Lagos, was concerned, Fawehinmi deserves all the praise being heaped on him. He told Newswatch "even though we don't want to run the risk of canonising him while alive, with all sense of responsibility, he's a good man. He's a man we are proud of, given his antecedents."
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