“At this critical time in the socio-political advancement of our nation, it is important for all true patriots to join hands and build a new Nigeria. The future of Nigeria is not in the hands of the present crop of politicians but in the hands of men and women of conscience. If our citizens cannot unite to provide a credible alternative to the current set of misfits that litter our political landscape, then we would have no reason to complain about our litany of woes“.
From the blind passion of those that worship power, May Allah extricates our national rulers from psychological immaturity, ideological confusion, spiritual complacency and mental stagnation.
The conference hall of the Oranmiyan Hall, Airport Hotel, Ikeja on Tuesday 15th January, 2013 was jam packed with mostly lawyers dressed in black and white. The hall equally hosted activists, members of the Fawehinmi family and a host of distinguished Nigerians. They were there to witness proceedings at the 9th Chief Gani Fawehinmi Annual lecture / symposium organized by the Ikeja Branch of the Nigeria Bar Association. The 9th Chief Gani Fawehinmi Annual Lecture, titled ‘Economy, Politics and Human Rights: Wither Nigeria?’ was organized by the Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, Ikeja branch.
In attendance were the Chairman Ikeja Branch, Nigeria Bar Association (NBA), Mr. M.O UBANI, Among the guests included Lawal Pedro, Solicitor-General of Lagos State, who represented the state governor, Babatunde Fashola; Wemimo Ogunde, representing the Ogun State Governor, Ibikunle Amosun; Okey Wali, NBA president; and Enyinnaya Abaribe, Senate spokesperson; among others.
Also in attendance were the Former Commissioner for Environment, Lagos State, Dr Muniz Banire, Ayodele Akele, the National Secretary of National Conscience Party, NCP, National Conscience Party Chairman, Mr Femi Falana, JAF Secretary Comrade Biodun Aremu, wife of late Chief Gani Fawehinmi, Mrs Ganiyat Fawehinmi, children of the departed luminary, Mohammed, Saheed, Idiat Fawehinmi and Mrs Basirat Fawehinmi Biobaku, The list embraced the Guest Lecturers Prof Chidi Odinaku, Mr Abiodun Owonikoko SAN, Mike Iginni, INEC Commissioner, Wahab Shittu, the Citator, Bamidele Aturu, Niyi Idowu, Chairman, Organizing Committee, NBA, Ikeja Branch, the Guest of honour, Lagos StateCommissioner Justice and other distinguished personalities.
The Chairman of the Nigeria Human Rights Commission, Chidi Odinkalu, criticized a group of ‘eminent’ Nigerians known as The Patriots, at the annual lecture organized in honour of the late Gani Fawehinmi.
The Patriots, led by octogenarian and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Ben Nwabueze, have been at the forefront of a campaign for a national conference in the country, He said.
But Mr. Odinkalu, who reiterated that the national conference does not appeal to him, accused the group of being part of the problems with Nigeria.
“I love Ben Nwabueze. I love Chief (Ladi) Williams. But I think ‘The Patriot’ was a misguided idea…
“I’m not making any allegations but if Ladi Williams and The Patriot are going to lead me, I want them to come out and confess how they ran the country down when they had the chance,” said Mr. Odinkalu, a guest speaker at the symposium.
“I’ll never surrender myself to a Chief Williams. Those Patriots are part of our problems,” he added.
Culpable politicians, lawyers
Mr. Odinkalu also took a swipe at politicians as well as lawyers both of whom he said
had not lived up to expectations.
“Since 1963, we lost an accountable judiciary, and with a police force that doesn’t work, we are in a difficult situation. Therefore, the politicians think they can buy the judiciary and the senior advocates too,” Mr. Odinkalu said.
“In Abia State, they drove away all non-indigenes from their civil service, people who had spent 30 years in the service, we all kept quiet.
“Our children paid different school fees from those who are ‘indigenes”, we all kept quiet.
“If Nigerians cannot live and transact business in Nigeria irrespective of where you come from, then you are not qualified to be a Nigerian,” Mr. Odinkalu said.
The Human Rights Chief further cited examples of Nigerians whose detribalized lives are worthy of note.
Like the late Bola Ige who titled his autobiography ‘Kaduna Boy’; the late Chukwuma Nzeogwu whose middle name was ‘Kaduna’; as well as a former president who practised “genital democracy.”
“We had a former president of this country who had children from all over this country – Yoruba, Igbo, Hausa, Ibibio…,” Mr. Odinkalu said.
“Gani gave us inspiration to continue in spite of obstacles that appear on the way… The democratization of violence has got to end. And we have got to tell the government to exercise their imagination to end it,” he added.
Another guest speaker, Abiodun Owonikoko, stated that Nigeria has deteriorated to the point where she had become “ceaselessly threatened with self implosion.”
“Democracy is only characterized by participatory governance,” said Mr. Owonikoko, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria.
“What we have not been able to achieve in this part of the world is the power of the populace to hold the government accountable,” he added.
Human rights activist, Femi Falana, in his speech faulted the Lagos State Government’s criteria of an indigene being the Vice-Chancellor of its university.
“You can’t have a Lagos State where the Vice Chancellor of the Lagos State
University must be an indigene of the state,” Mr. Falana said.
“It is a university, universal. When you do that, you reduce it to a mushroom university,” he added.
In his welcome address, Monday Ubani, Chairman of NBA, Ikeja chapter, described the late human rights activist as one of the greatest Nigerians to have passed through the nation.
“Every decent Nigerian will feel appalled at the rate we have moved economically and politically as a nation,” said Mr. Ubani.
“The truth of the matter is that Chief Gani Fawehinmi is still very angry from his grave that the problems of the country that truly facilitated his demise, instead of abating, is growing monumentally by the day,” Mr. Ubani continued.
“The nation has been denied growth by pervasive and institutionalized corruption everywhere. No institution or agency of government is spared; even the private sector is not innocent,” he added.
The General Secretary of Joint Action Front, JAF, Comrade Abiodun Aremu, described the Lagos Traffic Law that restricted operations of okada riders on major highways as unjust. He said riders depend on the roads for their means of livelihood.
He accused the Lagos State Government of insincerity, saying that in 2011 when Governor Babatunde Fashola was seeking re-election, he identified with okada riders and promised not to ban their operations in the state.
I thought it must have been the most expensive joke of all time, considering how the Lagos State governor used ‘okadas’ as a ‘street army’ during his election campaign last year. Apparently, those days are gone and forgotten by the governor, he bemoaned. If you know Lagos State very well, you will understand how ridiculous and insensitive the state government has made itself look with the ‘okada’ restriction law on 475 roads.
I have asked myself many times what could have led to this ‘okada’ restriction move which is now obviously an ‘okada’ ban and I certainly can’t figure out any reasonable justification.
If you consider ’okada’ accidents, it’s no big deal. Commercial buses do have accidents daily across the state. Instead of conducting a survey on how many ‘okada’ accidents happen in the state, the government should have carried out a survey on how accessible public transportation is, especially the alternatives to the ‘okada’ where there is any.
The National Secretary of National Conscience Party, Comrade Ayodele Akele, in his speech said: National Conscience Party (NCP) is a child of ideology charged with the responsibility and philosophy of standing for what is right, even if standing alone. It is describe as the last man standing of Nigerian filthy politics because of the political ideology of Chief Gani Fawehinmi and the modus operandi of the party. Reacting to Comrade Aremu’s criticism, He said Fashola got the bulk of the votes that earned him a second term from okada riders and the down-trodden masses in general. He said the governor’s action showed that he had forgotten those who gave him their votes for a second term in office.
Comrade Malik Pappucci
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