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  • NCRIB honours Braithwaite, Ogunlana

    The Nigerian Council of Registered Insurance Brokers (NCRIB) has honoured two insurance guru the late Mr Talabi Adebayo Braithwaite and Pa Olabode Ogunlana for their contributions to the industry.

    Braithwaite was the first chartered insurer in the country and the first to become a member of Lloyds in the United Kingdom. He was also NCRIB’s pioneer President.

    Ogunlana, on the other hand, is the first indigenous Managing Director of the defunct National Insurance Corporation (NICON) whose leadership paved the way for other MDs and leaders of the industry. His leadership made NICON Insurance the breeding ground for many quality insurance professionals that the country has produced till date.

    Speaking at the event titled: “Celebrating our heroes”, NCRIB President, Mr Shola Tinubu said it was the inaugural edition of celebrating leaders who had brought insurance image to the front burner of national and international reckoning.

    He believed that the initiative would serve as a tonic for the up-coming generation by invoking in them the spirit of sacrifice and conscientious devotion to duties, bearing in mind that their efforts would never be forgotten.

    Eighty-Six-year-old Ogunlana, who is also the Chairman of Scib Insurance Brokers, urged members of the Council to serve with passion.

    He said leaders of NCRIB need to pass on the torches of knowledge and skills for the good of the industry.

    He said: “You are called upon to engage in seriously tutoring – real teaching. The benefits of such tutoring will extend beyond the trainees, their companies, the insureds, the clients and the insuring public are also joint beneficiaries. The spiraling effect of the teaching is yet another good reason. You must teach and mentor constantly as well as pass on the skills and knowledge you possess to those coming after you which is what I did.

    “Unless and until you have done this, the insurance industry will not make any meaningful impact on Nigeria socially and economically. NCRIB like all the other arms of the Industry needs more actions than mere talks, meetings and conferences. Go out there, explain to Nigerians why their lives and corporate existence need insurance. Go out and sell not only to increase your profits but to improve the welfare of Nigerians and the well-being of Nigeria.

    “Brokers are not just intermediaries with the responsibility of ensuring thorough understanding of the seemingly unintelligible policy conditions by the public; in addition they are required to promote good relationship between insurers and the insuring public. They are the essential bridge between and should facilitate seamless relations within various sectors of the industry, The National Insurance Commission (NAICOM) inclusive, to ensure effective delivery of customer satisfaction,” he added.

  • Braithwaite joins APC

    Olumide, a Lagos lawyer and son of the late elder statesman, Dr. Tunji Braithwaite, leader of the defunct Nigeria Advance Party (NAP), has urged Nigerians to support President Muhammadu Buhari’s anti-corruption war.

    Speaking after joining APC from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), at Agege Stadium, Braithwaite said many of his supporters believed he ought to have defected some years earlier.

    The lawyer described his defection as a return home.

    The event was also attended by former PDP State Chairman Moshood Salvador.

    Braithwaite, who was a leader in the PDP, joined the party’s Lagos Central Senatorial District primary in 2015.

    He was also a member of the 40-man caretaker committee of the party in the state.

     

  • What we’ll miss about Braithwaite, by associates

    What we’ll miss about Braithwaite, by associates

    Political associates of the late lawyer and activist Mr Tunji Braithwaite have listed the qualities that stood him out.

    In a tribute on behalf of members of the Nigeria Advance Party (NAP), Prince Ajibola Oluyede, a lawyer, yesterday observed that the late Braithwaite worked for the good of Nigeria.

    The tribute reads: “With heavy hearts, members of the NAP announce the passing of a great leader, Dr. Tunji Braithwaite.

    “Our late leader passed on to glory on resurrection day, March 28,  2016, at the age of 82 years, and we have no doubt that he is resting in the bosom of  Jesus Christ, who he worshipped and served all his life.

    “Dr. Braithwaite’s seminal work,  The Jurisprudence of the living Oracles, testifies to the moral underpinnings of the life and activities of this great crusader for an egalitarian Nigerian nation.

    His life and activities demonstrated his belief that the rule of law was synonymous with the rule of God and that any “law” that was disconsonant with God’s dictates was not a true law and would be harmful to people, who are subjected to such laws.

    “For this reason he fought all his life for social justice, democracy and the rule of law.

    “His declaration of war against rats, cockroaches and mosquitoes in 1978 at the formation of the NAP (though euphemistically stating an intention to oust the political establishment, the corrupt and destructive political system, through a social revolution) resonated with the masses  and especially with university students apprehensive for their future under the neo-colonialist administrations that had foisted on the country a backward and corrupt system promoting mediocrity and exalted criminal wealth.

    “Many of us who joined the NAP from school in those days did so not in pursuit of political office but in support of an idea that we believed would liberate Nigerians. Our political naiveté, notwithstanding, the establishment perceived the NAP as a threat to the status quo and refused to register it in 1978, though it was the most widely accepted political movement in Nigeria at the time.

    “Eventually, when it became evident that the credibility of the political system was diminishing with every day the NAP remained unregistered, the establishment was forced to register the NAP in 1980 to give some legitimacy to the system.

    “Many will remember that the elections that followed that registration was the most manipulated and rigged in the history of Nigeria leading to the intervention of the military in order to stave off a social revolution spearheaded by the NAP.

    “The rest is now history and there is hardly need to chronicle the predictions and warnings from Dr. Braithwaite to the political establishment as to the inevitable outcome of their lack of foresight and brazenfaced theft of the communal wealth.

    “Suffice to say that those warnings and predictions were made by a man, who had a great vision for Nigeria to break into its destiny as a great, prosperous and progressive nation, providing leadership and support for other African nations to bring the continent out of the backwardness and darkness that eons of the slave trade and colonialism had  foisted on it.

    “Dr. Braithwaite never wavered in his pursuit of the welfare of the masses and sacrificed his personal resources in this pursuit. To achieve the goals set out in the manifesto of the NAP and captured in its motto, ‘Nigeria needs a positive change’, the NAP under Dr. Braithwaite’s leadership initiated and led many coalitions and alliances that were expected to produce ‘a positive change’.

    “In 1999, NAP spearheaded the formation of the Democratic Advance Movement (DAM) to create a platform for true democrats to seize power from the establishment parties formed by members and surrogates of the military.”

  • Braithwaite: Legacy of social justice

    SIR: It was Robert Kennedy, the former United States Attorney General who once said: ‘Each time a man stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope, and crossing each other from a million different centres of energy and daring, those ripples build a current which can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance’.

    This statement underscores the life and times of Tunji Braithwaite as a staunch advocate of human rights and social justice. He gained singular reputation in his own right as one of the finest leaders of the pro democracy movement in Nigeria. He electrified the country with his passionate speeches for democracy and social reforms. He was an outspoken defender of fiscal federalism, the poor and a champion of education, rule of law and other issues confronting the Nigerian state.

    His political and social construct recognise the evil forces and economic constraints surrounding the oligarchic political regime in Nigeria with a profound understanding of social change dynamics and outcomes and he also paid an exceptional attention to the quality of state institutions, the design of public policy, and the promotion of self-directed role of leaders and stewardship in nation – building efforts.

    Indeed, Braithwaite’s exit from the political landscape marked the beginning of the end of courage, character, vision and ideology. He belonged to the last generation of welfare and pro-people ideologist who participated in the struggle for national liberation through the demand human rights and he became a revolutionary force for the enthronement of civil rule in Nigeria. His political and legal activism was driven by great intellectual and ideological ferment and his words ring true today. His austere political leadership and intellectual notions of human rights continue to expand today and no doubt enrich the political conversation on the national question and the urgent need to tinker with the territorial dimensions of the contrived Nigeria state. He represents a socio – political movement that is unequalled in the Second Republic politics in Nigeria particularly in the area of political party formation, organisation and ideology devoid of ethnicity and religious colouration of that era.

    As we celebrate the exit of Nigeria’s finest social crusader and political reformist, it is painfully clear that ‘mosquitoes and rats’ are still looting the commonwealth with reckless abandon and the tragedy of the Nigerian situation is that majority of the elite are still engaged in misappropriation of public wealth squirreled away in offshore accounts which weigh down social investment and development. Nigerian elites have failed to transform their political kingdoms into ecstasy. The inescapable image, therefore, is a picture of a people deprived of their basic needs in conditions of extreme hardship as state mangers and leaders fail to or seem incapable of advancing policies and programmes that would alleviate the plight of the ordinary man which Braithwaite championed and campaigned for in the last 50 years of his political activism.

    Finally, as a national reformer and a social rights campaigner, he may have been disappointed that Nigeria’s political landscape is still infested with ‘mosquitoes and rats’, but he would certainly be inspired if in the nearest future we play by the rule of law, popular democracy and social justice. There is a silver lining but we must be vigilant as a people in need of progress and development. That is the greatest mark of respect we can pay to a political and civil rights movement icon. Tunji Braithwaite made a difference.

     

    • Samuel Akpobome Orovwuje,

    Lagos

  • Braithwaite: Sunset for ‘socialist’ lawyer

    Braithwaite: Sunset for ‘socialist’ lawyer

    The sun has set  for one of the brilliant African lawyers and pro-democracy activists, Dr. Tunji Braithwaite. He died with his vision for a united and prosperous Nigeria unfulfilled. Although he had canvassed a new social order, a people’s constitution, true federalism and the restructuring of the polity, they have remained elusive. Nevertheless, his demise will be mourned by ideologically inclined admirers, in part for his idealistic yearnings, but more importantly for his consistency as a critic of the prevailing social order.

    The struggle for the reordering of the society has been shaped by the pursuit of two cardinal goals. These are pro-democracy activism for the purpose of sacking the military from power and installing legistimate rule, and the orientation towards socialism.

    The elite who professed socialism in Nigeria have made much impact in ideological reorientation. Activists like Braithwaite, Bala Usman, Eskor Toyo and Bade Onimode, who decried the evil of capitalism, had fans among radical students and a section of the media. But, the socialist evangelism in Africa may have paled into an excellent academic exercise, unsupported by the realityof African life and society.

    Not only has the communist attempt become illusory, there is an evidence of inherent contradiction imposed by the capitalist inclinations of some African crusaders.

    The only solace is that the society would have been worse for it, if the activists have kept quiet.

    Braithwaite was born in Lagos in 1933. He was educated at the C.M.S Grammar School between 1946 and 1953. He sat for his Advanced Level examination at the Kennington College, London University, in 1955. In 1957, he became a Law student at the Council of Legal Education. He was admitted into Lincoln’s Inn and graduated in 1960. He bagged a doctorate degree in Law.

    In the sixties and seventies, the lawyer was associated with the human rights movement. A successful lawyer, he was an ideologue. Vocal, versatile and committed to the cause of emancipation, he worked closely with other radical and revolutionary elements, including the ace musician, the late Fela Anikulapo-Kuti, Chief Gani Fawehinmi, the late Chief Kanmi Ishola-Osobu, Chief Alao Aka-Bashorun, Dr. Beko Ransom-Kuti and chieftains of the Afenifere and Southern Nigerian leaders.

    The eminent lawyer was a star in the court room. He had a successful practice. He also earned respect among Nigerians for his principles.

    Braithwaite came into prominence in the Second Republic when he registered the defunct Nigeria Advanced Party (NAP). The party was given the nod to participate in the 1983 presidential election. It was a leftist party. Members included young radical fellows. The impression at that time was that the party was eventually registered as the sixth party to reduce the electoral chance of the presidential candidate of the defunct Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN), the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo, in the Yoruba-speaking areas where he and Braithwaite hailed from.

    However, Awo dismissed the threat with a wave of the hand. He predicted that NAP its presidential candidate will not win a single ward during the poll. The prediction came into fulfillment. Therefore, although Braithwaite was a successful lawyer and rights activist, he could not reenact the same success story in politics.

    In the Third Republic, the eloquent lawyer picked up the gauntlet again. Old breed politicians had been cowed by the cunning military president, Gen. Ibrahim Babangida, who annulled the historic 1993 presidential election. When he stepped aside, the late Gen. Sani Abacha also unfolded a fraudulent transition programme. Politicians were playing the dangerous game along with Abacha. The lone exceptions were the late Alhaji Dikko Yusufu and Braithwaite, who dared the dreadful Head of State. Both of them insisted on contesting for the presidency, despite the intimidation. With Abacha’s death, the transition programme collapsed like a park of cards.

    From 1999, Braithwaite shunned elective politics. He worked closely with elder statesmen who consistently raised the national question. He raised puzzles over a wide range of issues, including the flaws of the military imposed 1999 Constitution, the devolution of power, restructuring, state police and land tenure system. At a time, he canvassed for an interim government to enable Nigerians discuss the basis for peaceful co-existence. But, he was silent on its composition, the criteria for choosing its members, its duration and how it should be set up. For misruling Nigeria, he took the PDP-led Federal Government to task. The Lagos lawyer said the government had boxed itself into a credibility crisis. In fact, he coordinated the 2013 fuel subsidy protest in Lagos.

    When Braithwaite celebrated his 79th birthday in Lagos, it was witnessed by former President Goodluck Jonathan. He was a delegate to the Abuja Constitution Conference. After the conference, he tempered his criticism of the Federal Government’s policies with fatherly advice. He became less combative. Since some of his associates also gravitated towards the PDP during the 2015 elections, the impression was also created that they had the elder statesman’s blessing.

    Till he breathed his last, Braithwaite practiced his profession with passion. He was not tired of the wig. He was counsel to Mrs. Maiden Ibru, who is locked in a protracted litigation with her husband’s relations over property. He had also taken the Standard Charter Bank to court, claiming that his right has been trampled with by the bank.

    Braithwaite had a fashion taste and a unique dress code. In the public, he was always unique. With his demise, Nigeria has lost a vocal voice in the human rights community; a fearless critic, defender of the oppressed and an advocate of a better Nigeria.

     

  • Braithwaite for burial April 28

    Braithwaite for burial April 28

    Renowned lawyer cum activist, Dr. Tunji Braithwaite, who died on Tuesday will be buried March 28.

    The foremost lawyer will be interred at the Reverend Braithwaite Memorial Church, Papa Epe, Lagos.

    According to a funeral programme released by his family, a three-day burial arrangement shall commence with a service of songs at Yard 158, Oregun street, Ikeja on April 26, while the Christian wake keep will take place at his Victoria Island residence on April 27.

  • Amosun, others mourn Braithwaite

    Amosun, others mourn Braithwaite

    Ogun State Governor Ibikunle Amosun has said the late Dr. Tunji Braithwaite’s life and time would remain indelible in the people’s minds.

    He said the politician was consistent in what he believed in, especially when it enhances the rule of rule of law and the promotion of human dignity.

    Former Minister of Industry Nike said the country has lost a man of integrity, noting that late politician touched many lives in positive ways.

    She said: “Nigeria has lost an icon, man of integrity, who has touched many lives in positive ways. This is truly a national loss.”

    Lagos State Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) 2015 governorship candidate Jimi Agbaje said the death of the statesman came as a shock.

    “We were not expecting him to go the way he went, he was not really ill for a long time. He was so full of life, even the last time I saw him. He has made his mark. He is one of those who spoke their minds, you dont have to agree with him.”

    The National Publicity Secretary of National Advanced Party (NAP) Pastor Lovedey Omorodion said the party will keep his legacy and pursue his philosophy.

  • We’ll continue to celebrate Braithwaite’s ideals, says Ambode

    We’ll continue to celebrate Braithwaite’s ideals, says Ambode

    Lagos State Governor Akinwunmi Ambode yesterday visited the family of the late foremost nationalist and prominent lawyer, Dr. Tunji Braithwaite, on Victoria Island.

    He said the government would continue to celebrate the ideal he stood for.

    The governor, who was accompanied by members of the State Executive Council, said his demise was a major loss not just to Lagos State but also to Nigeria.

    He said: “On behalf of Lagos State, I want to say that this is something that touched us; we are concerned about it and we would like to take deeper part in whatever you want to do to honour him because this is a great loss to Lagos and this is a great loss of a great man of Lagos and we intend to celebrate him in that manner also.

    “Whatever it is that we do even as a government or as a party, they are things that always project us. If there is any person who is on the side of the masses or the poor, this is one thing that Dr. Tunji Braithwaite believed in. He preached it; confessed it and fought for it.

    “He was a thoroughbred. That is why we have come here not only console or say just anything. The only thing we have joy about is that he lived a Christian life from the beginning to the end.

    “My prayer is that wherever he left his sermon, we will take it up and also make sure that the philosophy of what he believed in does not die here.

    “I want to console with the rest of the family. The name Braithwaite will never die. I believe strong that any time that we are reading any legal matter or any other issue that relate to constitutionalism in Nigeria, his own side of the story will remain indelible.”

    Speaking on behalf of the family, Dr. Omowunmi Braithwaite thanked the governor for finding time, despite his busy schedule, to commiserate with them.

    She said her father’s demise had left a void in their lives that will forever remain difficult to fill.

    “We love our father; he has left a huge void in our lives and his footsteps impossible to fill. But we take comfort in what he has left as a legacy, as you have said, for us as a family and the nation.

    “Daddy did not compromise under any circumstances with his family. We thank God for the fact that he was such a forthright and God-fearing man and fearless on many levels and as I have said to some other people, he was not up for sale at any level.

    “We thank God for him because great people are born not made and daddy was a great man. I know he will live forever in our hearts and he will go down in history as one of the greatest men who ever lived in Nigeria,” she said.

    An economist and former Vice President of the African Development Bank (ADB), Chief Bisi Ogunjobi, said Braithwaite’s death is a great loss to the nation.

    He said: “This nation has lost a great patriot; somebody who has strong commitments to the improvement of the welfare of Nigerians. He was very much dedicated as a businessman, a human rights activist and a politician. Such people are very rare and it would take a long time to have a personality like him again.”

    A governorship candidate of the National Advance Party (NAP) in Lagos during the 2007 election, Mr. Ladipo Johnson, said the death of the frontline politician is a huge loss to the nation.

    In a statement, Johnson noted that the late politician’s courage and uncommon leadership would be missed by Nigerians.

     “By his death, the nation has lost a rare voice who genuinely sided with the masses, who was always forthright to speak the truth and campaign against all sorts of corruption. We have certainly lost a statesman.”

    A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Dr. Abayomi Finih, said the country will miss him dearly.

    “He made a lot of contributions towards the development of this country; he was controversial sometimes but he meant well. May his soul rest in peace,” he added.

    Another APC chieftain, Senator Olorunimbe Mamora said: “We thank God for his life; he was able to live above 80 years in Nigeria with all our challenges. He would be remembered for his courage. He was not just a legal mind, he was a thorough person. He would call a spade a spade, never afraid of saying his mind when it has to do with the welfare of the common man. His legacies will remain evergreen.”

  • Braithwaite dies at 82

    Braithwaite dies at 82

    •Activist-lawyer passes on after falling in gym

    Tunji Braithwaite, frontline politician, activist-lawyer and elder statesman, died yesterday—six days after he fell into a coma. He was 82.
    The late Dr. Braithwaite slumped in his Victoria Island, Lagos home last Tuesday during a fitness exercise in his gym. He was taken to St. Nicholas Hospital on Lagos Island where he passed on.
    His second son, Olumide, who broke the news to reporters, said Braithwaite died at 10:30am. He described his late father as an icon of his generation and a revolutionary, saying he would be remembered for his impeccable integrity and courage.
    The late Braithwaite’s Secretary, Ms Aminat Bello, recalled his last moments. She said: “I saw him briefly last Tuesday around 11am. He was going to the gym within the house when I saw him. I greeted him and he replied without any sign of sickness. He told me he would see me after the gym for something important. A few minutes after, shouts came from the gym that he fell. We all rushed to the gym and from there, he was taken to the hospital. That was the last time I saw him. I did not have the opportunity to see him in hospital before he died this morning (yesterday).”
    Braithwaite’s death cast a pall of grief on his Beulah Street, Victoria Island home. His neighbours gathered, watching as mourners trooped to his house – a white mansion. The neighbourhood wore a gloomy atmosphere.
    The late Braithwaite founded the Nigerian Advance Party (NAP) in 1978. He was also a delegate to the 2014 National Conference organised by the Goodluck Jonathan administration. He ran for president in 1983.
    In the 70s, he defended the late Afro beat musician Fela Anikulapo-Kuti.
    Early callers at Braithwaite’s residence were his professional colleagues, church and family members. A prayer session, which lasted for about 45 minutes, was held in his living room.
    The former Provost of Cathedral Church of Christ, the Very Reverend Yinka Omololu, who presided, paid a glowing tribute to the late elder statesman, who he said had known since childhood.
    Dr. Grace Simisola, the late Braithwaite’s wife, sat all through the prayer. She looked sober. Clad in a brown kaftan, her head covered with a scarf, she lowered her gaze and kept silent throughout the session. She rubbed her palms every time she looked at her late husband’s picture hung on the wall.
    Omololu said: “Uncle Tunji (Braithwaite) was not only a Christian, he also followed the scripture. The fact that his death came during Easter period brought a significant sign for the family. I know him as a forthright and candid man. He was a man who had the love of this country at heart. Beyond politics, not many people know that Uncle Tunji was also an evangelist.
    “He would go anywhere to preach the gospel and fight the cause of the common man. He had a strong belief that there is hope for this country. It would have been lovely to see that hope happen in his lifetime.”
    Born in 1933, as the youngest son of eight children of his parents, the late Braithwaite was educated at the CMS Grammar School, Lagos, completing his education in 1953.
    He attended Advanced Level at the London University at Kennington College in 1955 and enrolled in 1957/58 as a Law student at the Council of Legal Education, London.
    The late Braithwaite was admitted into Lincoln’s Inn that same year. He graduated as a barrister in 1960.
    The late Braithwaite married his childhood sweetheart, Grace Falade, in 1956, while they were undergraduates. They had five children and many grand grandchildren.

  • Nigerians mourn elder statesman Braithwaite

    Nigerians mourn elder statesman Braithwaite

    •NBA, others mourn Braithwaite 

    Nigerians spoke with one voice yesterday the late elder statements Dr Tunji Braithwaite was a great Nigerian.

    Governors, Senior citizens, lawyers and other categories of  eminent Nigerian involved has emerge.

    L:agos state Governor Akinwunmi Ambode, Ogun State Governor Ibikunle Amosun, former Vice  President Atiku  Abubakar, All Progressives National leader Asiwaju Bola Tinubu and Nigeria Bar Association (NBA) President Augustine Alegeh, extolled his virtues.

    One of Braitwaite’s children, Olumide, a lawyer said: “He was a selfless lawyer who laid down his life for the nation. Where other politicians feared to tread, my father stormed. His style of politics was unique, he remained resolute and never waiver. He inspired Gani Fawehinmi in the legal profession.”

    “He taught us integrity, selflessness and he led by example. He was courageous, brave, upright and showed diligence in any anything he took part in.

    “His death shocked the family and brought sadness to Nigeria, because that was his constituency. He would be greatly missed by the downtrodden whose cause he fought till he breathed his last. He left us a unique legacy, which the Braithwaite family will continue.”

    “He wished there was more people who shared his political ideals to truly change the country.

    In a statement by his media officer Asiwaju Tinubu said: “I am saddened by the passing away of the great Nigerian elder statesman, Dr Tunji Braithwaite. His death has left a vacuum in the political firmament of Nigeria. But though dead, he lives behind a robust political legacy and his vibrant intellectual contributions to the polity will remain relevant for a long time to come.

    “He was a staunch advocate of a united and progressive Nigeria.  Dr Braithwaite started with the forming of the National Advance Party, NAP, at a very young age. From then on, there was no stopping him. His seminal interventions helped to sharpen Nigeria’s moral orientation even as he strove to weld politics with morality in a bid to bring good governance to Nigeria. He will be missed.

    “Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and fellow Nigerians.

    “He was very consistent in fighting for what he believed was right and fair to every human regardless of their ethnic leaning or creed, he was not one to shy away from taking a position that he strongly believed in.

    “He was always consistent in creating independent platforms to fight for the interest of the common man,” the Governor said.

    He said as a lawyer, Braithwaite stood tall among his equals, which earned him respect not only in Nigeria, but across the globe.

    “He was one of the very best of lawyers this country has ever produced; he was consistent in the struggle to see the rebirth of a new Nigeria.

    “At over 80 years, he came out to protest on the streets with the likes of Professor Ben Nwabueze and other activists against the economic policies of the then Federal Government,” he said.

    Governor Ambode while commiserating with the family of the late legal luminary urged them to uphold the ideals he stood and fought for, saying that the nation will continue to draw inspiration from his life and times.

    “His demise, just like that of our heroes past, must never be in vain. There can be no better time to unite together to achieve a better and more prosperous Nigeria,” he said.

    He said Braithwaite was a prominent Lagos citizen who had paid his dues and has left his footprints on the sands of time.

    “On behalf of the government and good people of Lagos State, I want to express our heartfelt condolence to the family of Dr. Tunji Braithwaite on this great and irreparable loss. He was a pride to all Lagosians and we will surely miss him.”

    Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar said: the death of Nigeria’s veteran

    According to him, the late veteran lawyer and politician was not “your typical Nigerian politician that opportunistically changes his opinions to ingratiate himself with the new powers that be.”

    According to the Turaki Adamawa, “These are extraordinary virtues for which I admire him deeply and regard him as a role model. May his soul rest in peace.”

    Amosun described as “a great loss,” the death of Dr. Braithwaite

    Amosun said, “he will be remembered, not just for his contributions to the legal profession, but also to the development of democratic ethos in Nigeria.”

    “We can only take solace in the fact that Dr. Braithwaite lived a purposeful, impactful and successful life,” Governor Amosun said.

    “It’s no doubt that as many of us  in  Nigeria and the Africa continent who have consistently drawn from his wisdom and wealth of experience as well as the masses on whose side he  deployed his legal sagacity over the years will greatly miss him”,

    NBA President, Augustine Alegeh (SAN), said, “The Bar mourns one of the legal icons in the country. He has gone but we are consoled that he has gone to a better place. His name would be written in gold for the good work he did and he would be remembered.

    Lagos lawyer, Chief  Niyi Akintola (SAN) said: “In spite of his background and achievements in life, he lived a simple life. He was a man of impeachable character and a man of principle. He lived a very discipline and decent life, in spite of his background, he comport himself in the best form. He never lived a complicated life but a decent life.”

    The Founder and President of the Oodua People’s Congress (OPC), Dr. Frederick Fasehun said: He was a  “personal friend and fellow democrat.

    “He was a legal luminary, human rights gladiator, constructive commentator and selfless philanthropist. In Braithwaite’s death I have lost a fellow soldier.

    “His death is a sad and painful death. He should not have died at this time of Nigeria’s political history, when the country needs patriots, zealots and visionaries like him. People like Braithwaite have the patriotic zeal and vision capable of moving the nation forward. We wish the family the strength to bear this monumental loss.”

    Lagos lawyer, ýFestus Keyamo said:“Dr. Braithwaite was a true and thorough revolutionary. He used his revolutionary ideas to challenge the status quo and all anti-people policies of all regimes. I came into close contact with him many times when we planned various protests in his house in Victoria Island. The last notable one was the fuel subsidy protest in January, 2013, which we co-ordinated from his residence. Nigeria has lost a loud voice against oppression, against bad government and against the status quo.”

    The Executive Secretary of the Nigerian National Summit Group , Mr. Tony Uranta said he envisioned Nigeria long ago before most of us were born.

    He said he would have wished Dr. Braithwaite was allowed to be the president of Nigeria at least for one term “with all sense of modesty, he was another president that never was. He was a firm Nigeria whose true feature is none in the firmament.”

    Former Chairman of the Nigerian Bar Association, (NBA), Ikeja branch, Monday Ubani said the death of Dr. Braithwaite was a shocking occurrence.

    ”He was a man who helped Nigeria find redemption. He was a principled politician who did not jump from party to party. He strived to help Nigerians find an alternative source to governance.

    ”I am pained by his death, and I am sure he would have died an unhappy man because he did not live to see the Nigeria of his dreams,” Ubani added.