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Tag: Chief Gani Fawehinmi

  • Furore over MKO’s posthumous award

    Sir: As it is wont to be the case, the national honours conferred on Chief MKO Abiola and Chief Gani Fawehinmi, SAN, all of blessed memories, have generated mixed feelings among political pundits and default naysayers alike.

    No sooner had the announcement made by the president than a counter statement challenging its validity, specifically, in respect of the highest honour award, Grand Commander of the Federal Republic, conferred on Chief MKO Abiola, the widely acclaimed winner of the June 12, 1996 presidential election, allegedly credited to the former Chief Justice of Nigeria, Honourable Justice Alfa Belgore. The statement purportedly faulted the posthumous conferment of the GCFR award on grounds that the law does not permit it posthumous conferment, save for the rest other honour rankings.

    I have calmly digested the provisions of the extant National Honours Act, 1963, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, and the subsidiary legislation in respect of the Honours Warrant, particularly Section 1(2)(3); Sections 2 & 3, dealing with establishment of the orders and rankings; eligibility for appointments to orders and mode of appointments to orders, respectively. I have also read the various subsidiary legislation, particularly, the Honours (Armed Forces) Warrant, also made pursuant to the main National Honours Act under review, and I am shocked, to say the least, that in the entire length and breadth of the legislation, nowhere is it provided nor remotely conceived in the law that the highest honour award cannot be conferred posthumously. Section 1 of the Act, in fact, vests in the president the discretionary powers to make warrant specifying the designation of the honours, among others, in respect of the award of titles of honours, decorations and dignities. Of poignant interest is Section 3 of the main Act which reads this: “(3) A warrant under this section may make provisions for different circumstances, and may be revoked or varied by a subsequent warrant”.

    I am still at a loss as to where the prohibition against posthumous conferment, as currently being bandied about, is contained. However, given the wide discretionary powers given to the president under the law to make warrant, it could be that there was a provision against posthumous award of GCFR in the warrant earlier made by the former president. Should this be the case, Section 3 of the Act which gives the president powers to either vary or outright revoke earlier warrant, has adequately taken care of that.

    On the strength of the above, all the fuss being generated by the naysayers in respect of the statement credited to My Lord, the former CJN, Honourable Justice Alfa Before, is therefore of no moment. The president, again, is on course.

     

    • Chris Edache Agbiti, Esq

    Abuja.

  • June 12: Fawehinmi‘s family accepts award, thanks FG

    The family of late human rights activist, Chief Gani Fawehinmi on Thursday thanked the Federal Government for its decision to give its patriarch  a national award.

    The first son of the late lawyer, Mr Mohammed Fawehinmi expressed the family’s gratitude in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria(NAN)in Lagos.

    President Muhammadu Buhari in a statement he personally signed on Wednesday  announced government’s decision to give  Fawehinmi a posthumous national award of GCON.

    He also declared June 12 as the new Democracy Day,while announcing a GCFR award to Chief Moshood Abiola, the  winner of the June 12,  1993 election.

    Buhari also announced the decision to give Abiola ‘s running mate , Ambassador Babagana Kingibe a national award of GCON.

    Mohammed  said the family accepted the honour bestowed on his late father and thanked Buhari for the recognition.

    “We thank the Federal Government for the honour ,we appreciate it and we accept it.

    “We also thank the government for recognising the June 12 struggle.We thank the president for the honour”,,he said.

    Fawehinmi added that his late father deserved the honour having fought hard for justice and democracy while he was alive.

    He dismissed the belief in some quarters that his father would have rejected the award if he was alive.

    Fawehinmi said his father rejected the OFR award once given to him because it was not deserving.

    “My father would not have rejected the award.He rejected the OFR award given to him because it was not deserving”,he said.

    NAN reports that many Nigerians have commended the government for declaring June 12 Democracy Day and for honouring Abiola, Kingibe  and Fawehinmi(NAN)

  • Lagos set to unveil Fawehinmi’s statue

    The Lagos State Government is set to unveil a new statue of Chief Gani Fawehinmi, SAN sited at the beautiful park in Ojota which is named after the late legal luminary and human rights advocate on Sunday.

    State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode, with members of the Gani Fawehinmi family, leading voices in human rights and other dignitaries across the state, will unveil the edifying statue in commemoration of the late activist’s 80th posthumous birthday.

    Commissioner for Tourism, Arts and Culture, Mr. Steve Ayorinde in a statement, said the remodelling of the magnificent Gani Fawehinmi statue was part of the State’s strategy to enhance the aesthetic beauty of open public spaces and parks across the state and to celebrate and immortalise worthy icons that contributed immensely to the development of Lagos State.

    According to the Commissioner, the new statue was also informed by the desire of Lagos State government to project and entrench the enduring legacy of the country’s foremost human right lawyer, activist, philanthropist and one of the icons of pro-democracy movement in Nigeria.

    “Lagos State is proud that Chief Gani Fawehinmi’s courageous voice was loud enough for the world to take notice of socio-political developments in Nigeria. His fearless activism and constant interventions on behalf of the voiceless were legendary and helped ignite global interest on the plight of the masses and on Lagos as a liberal State that created an enabling environment for voices against oppression to be heard,” Ayorinde said.

    The 34-feet high statue will serve as one of the many iconic edifices that highlight the Akinwunmi Ambode-led administration’s quest to transform the landscape of the state with artistic aesthetics, while also signposting the belief in giving honour to whom honour is due.

    The commissioner quoted Governor Ambode as saying that the relevance of Gani’s struggle for transparent and responsive governance remains the pillar of our progressive leadership in Lagos State in particular and Nigeria in general.

    “It is therefore pertinent to accord him the needed reference and respect in the company of great and revered minds that considered Lagos as home and an integral part of their success story.”

    The statement added that Governor Ambode and his entire cabinet, on behalf of the good people of Lagos State appreciate and congratulate the Fawehinmi family for keeping the flag of what Gani represents to the law profession and the civil society flying through the sustenance of the colloquium to celebrate his birthday annually.

    Sunday’s unveiling is expected to be witnessed by members of Gani’s family,  friends, protégés and loyalists that have sustained the legacy of the late legal icon by keeping the flag of human rights advocacy, fairness and justice flying.

    The Commissioner added that adequate security measures and traffic control have been put in place to ensure that the two-hour ceremony is orderly and befitting of Chief Gani Fawehinmi’s legacy.

  • New minimum wage will address wide gap of poverty – FG

    New minimum wage will address wide gap of poverty – FG

    Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha has assured Nigerian workers that the government was working towards ensuring a new national minimum wage that will address the issue of social imbalance, inequality and the wide gap of poverty in the country. 

    The SGF was speaking at an award dinner to round up the 40th anniversary of the Nigeria Labour Congress in Abuja where the likes of late Chief Gani Fawehinmi, late Pa Micheal Imoudu, late Olaitan Oyelunde, late Chiba Ubani, late Prof, Festus Iyayi, as well as past Presidents and General Secretaries of the congress and a host of others were honoured for their contribution to the Labour movement in Nigeria and inducted into Labour Hall of Fame.

    He said that the welfare of Nigerian workers was top on the priority list of the Buhari administration while describing the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) as the soul of the government, adding that because of the importance the government attached to the welfare of workers, it was making a lot of efforts to resuscitate the economy.

    He said: “The importance of the Nigeria Labour Congress in the affairs of any government cannot be overlooked. It is the soul of the government because without the workers, be they civil servants, private sector workers or even pensioners, there will be nobody to man the system.

    “That is why this administration takes the welfare of the Nigerian worker as priority by putting so much effort into the resuscitation of the economy. I must underscore the fact that the primary objective of the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan is to diversity the economy, grow skills, create wealth, gain infrastructures, ensure food security and provide jobs.

    “The federal government is conscious of the need to bring wages to meet economic realities. It is in this regard that the tripartite minimum wage committee was inaugurated to review the national minimum wage. The committee is determined to complete its assignment before the end of this year and I am confident that the outcome of their assignment would address the issue of social imbalance, inequality and the wide gap of poverty in the country.

    “With this year anniversary theme of Nigeria Labour Congress yesterday, today and tomorrow, it is indeed time to count our blessings and chat a new course for the future. I believe that together, we can build the Nigeria of our dream and improve on the generality of the life of Nigerians.

    “I congratulate the leadership of the congress for deeming it proper to reward past services through recognitions. I congratulate the awardees and say that your recognition tonight is a challenge to all of us to continue to contribute our best to the service of our nation.”

    NLC President, Comrade Ayuba Wabba said the dinner was organised to honoured all those who have contributed to the growth of the Labour movement in the country, some of who paid the supreme price while other spent several months in detention during the military era to make the Labour movement what it is in the country today.

    He said with the high level of discussion during the anniversary, it was evident that the future will be bright for the Nigerian worker, while calling for free cooperation of all Nigerians in the struggle to make the country a better place.

    Wabba said “as enumerated during the three day brain storming event, and from the volume of discourse, it is very clear that the future will be bright because we have assembled the best from among our rank and file. We brought in our founding fathers that laid the solid foundation that allowed us to continue to exist despite the challenges.

    “I am certain and all of us are convinced that from the issues that were discoursed, we have reasons to look into the future and build NLC of our dreams. It is therefore our sincere hope that this evening’s event to look at our little beginning, a beginning that has many challenges.

    “But because of the determination of our founding fathers and the solid foundation they have laid, we are assured that the future is already secured. Therefore, part the event of this evening is to recognize the contribution of our patriots, our founding fathers, organizations and individuals that have worked assiduously to ensure that NLC continue to exist.

    “Some of their contribution are too numerous to mention. Some have paid the supreme price and laid down their lives. Some have suffered deformity and others are here with us and we are going to recognize their contribution.

    “Therefore, this occasion is to recognize key contribution of individuals and Organisation and also our veterans who have stood their ground even in the face of adversity. In the era of the military, some of them spent several months in jail. There is no other occasion to recognize these people than the 40th anniversary of congress.

    “As an Organisation, we have survived all the challenges, but what is the condition of the Nigerian worker today and what do we want the condition of the worker to be. What will be our contribution to national development. Should we continue to serve as second class citizens. All these questions have been answered in the last three days.”

    Read Also: New minimum wage to be ready before September ending – Ngige

  • How a defective justice system freed Major al-Mustapha

    Introduction

     

    Under the Ibrahim Babangida junta politically motivated killings were rife in several parts of the country. The refusal by the police to investigate such killings lent credence to allegations of official involvement. The gruesome assassination of a prominent journalist, Mr. Dele Giwa by a parcel bomb in Lagos on October 19,1986 was covered up by the junta. The gallant attempts by the late Chief Gani Fawehinmi (SAN) to ensure the prosecution of those who were suspected to have masterminded the nefarious deed were officially frustrated. However, the Sani Abacha junta devised a dubious method of shielding official assassins from being exposed. Whenever any opposition figure was killed by the Strike Force accusing fingers were quickly pointed at the family members or political allies of the deceased . Thus, sequel to the brutal murder of Mrs. Kudirat Abiola in Lagos on June 4,1996 by unknown gunmen, some members of the Abiola family and chieftains of the National Democratic Coalition (NADECO) were hurriedly arrested, detained and interrogated by the police on suspicion that they committed the heinous crime!

     

    The indictment of the

    murder suspects

    Upon the restoration of civil rule in May 1999, President Olusegun Obasanjo instituted the Special Investigation Panel which probed the murderous activities of the Strike Force from 1993 to 1998. Some of the operatives made confessional statements on the murder of Mrs Abiola, the attempted murder of Chief Alex Ibru, Chief Abraham Adesanya, Mr Isaac Poubeni etc. In particular, it was disclosed by the suspects that they carried out the iniquitous crimes on the orders of Major Hamza Al-Mustapha, the ex-Chief Security Officer to the late maximum ruler, General Sani Abacha. Upon the completion of investigation the Police charged the former Chief of Army Staff, General Ishaya Bamaiyi; the former Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Mr. James Danbaba; Major Al-Mustapha; Mr. Mohammed Abacha and Mohammed Aminu with the murder of Mrs Abiola before an Ikeja Chief Magistrate Court in November 1999. The prosecutor in the matter was Mr. Nuhu Ribadu, who later became the pioneer chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.

    The case was taken over by the Lagos State Ministry of Justice in 2000 which terminated the matter at the Magistrate’s court and charged the defendants for the same offence at the Lagos High Court. In his oral testimony before Justice Ade Alabi, the star prosecution witness, Sergeant Barnabas Jabila (a.k.a.Rogers) gave a vivid account and description of how he collected two uzi guns from Major Al-Mustapha. He also disclosed that Alhaji Lateef Shofolahan gave information on the movements of Alhaja Kudirat Abiola while Mr Mohammed Abacha lent his Mercedes Benz car and allowed his driver, Mr Mohammed Abdu (a.k.a Katako) to drive the killer gang to the scene of the crime. Although Mr Mohammed Abacha did not deny the fact that he also gave $20,000 to two members of the killer squad to flee the country (to escape arrest and prosecution) the Supreme Court set him free in a split decision of 4-1.

    In the majority decision of the court read by Alfa Belgore JSC (as he then was) it was held that “The Appellant (Mohammed Abacha), in normal matter of course visited the first accused (Al Mustapha) not in course of any business. He saw Al Mustapha whispering to Jaabila (a.k.a Rogers) but not knowing what they discussed. He saw two guns taken out of a bag and given to Jabila. Al Mustapha was Chief Security Officer and Jabila worked with him. Certainly he would not know what the mission was… Katako drove to the scene with Jabila and others where the unfortunate and gruesome murder was committed by Jabila, at least on his own confession of firing the shots at Mrs. Abiola.”All the other four justices on the panel of the apex court made similar profound findings based on the proof of evidence before the trial court. Even the late Olufemi Ejiwunmi JSC who delivered a dissenting opinion had this to say: “There was evidence that the appellant allowed his driver Katako to drive Rogers; and that the said Rogers fired and killed Kudirat while being driven by Katako. The appellant had seen Al-Mustapha, the first accused hand over machine guns to Rogers and his boys.” In dissociating himself from the decision of his learned brethren that the appellant had no case to answer, Justice Ejiwunmi described the verdict of the court as “ a tyranny of majority”.

    Before the judgment of the Supreme Court was delivered on July 11, 2002 Sergeant Rogers had appeared before the Justice Chukwudifu Oputa Panel on Human Rights Abuses which sat at the old National Assembly building at the Tafawa Balewa Square in Lagos. In the detailed evidence given by him sometimes in 2001, Sergeant Rogers confirmed that he fired the shot that snuffed life out of Mrs Kudirat Abiola as part of the atrocities perpetrated by the Strike Force on the orders of Major Al-Mustapha. He revealed that General Jeremiah Useni who was in the hall visited him and other members of the Strike Force in North Korea when they were training on how to kill the “enemies of Nigeria”. When asked by Justice Oputa if he regretted his action he said he did and he proceeded to ask for forgiveness as he burst into tears. Curiously, Major Al-Mustapha and others who were indicted by Sergeant Rogers could not challenge the witness even though they were present at the proceedings.