05 Sep 2009 |
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Prominent Nigerian activist Gani dies(AFP) – 23 minutes ago LAGOS — Prominent Nigerian lawyer and rights activist Gani Fawehinmi died Saturday after a prolonged battle with cancer, his colleagues said. He was 71. Fawehinmi, a thorn in the flesh of successive Nigerian governments both military and civilian, died in his Ikeja home in Lagos, they said. "Gani passed on this morning in his residence at Ikeja. We are saddened and devastated by his death," Joe Oke-Odumakin, president of the Campaign for Democracy, told AFP. Another rights activist Shina Loremikan confirmed the death. "I was informed by his family that he died early this morning," he said. Fawehinmi, holder of Nigeria's highest legal title, the Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), was an author, publisher, philanthropist, social critic, human and civil rights lawyer and politician. He had been in and out of hospital both at home and abroad for the treatment of cancer in the past few years. _______________
TRIBUTE TO CHIEF GANI FAWEHINMI BY THE DEMOCRATIC ALTERNATIVE DA5 September, 2009 The inevitable has happened. Chief Gani Fawehinmi has gone the way of all true patriots of this land Nigeria and this world. All members of the Democratic Alternative join other authentic true patriots of our land to salute this unique man of honour, this man of courage, this man of the people, this man who truly loved his neighbour as himself. He was a valorous man who singularly, in his own confident manner and singular dedication added value to the concept and methodology of making the world a better place in his own time. Gani was a friend of the Democratic Alternative and cherished the necessity for the party he worked very hard to build National Conscience Party NCP to work closely and in harmony with the Democratic Alternative DA. He appreciated and expressed his admiration for the work being done in the DA. In the same mind, he was a true friend of the exploited masses of the country. No wonder, the youths and students made him the Senior Advocate of the Masses SAM when the exploiter wielders of the Nigerian state power, to their own shame and self denigration denied him the professional honour of Senior Advocate of Nigeria that he had uniquely and richly deserved by sheer limitless contribution to the development of the law, a profession that he deftly used to pass irrefutable judgement on the exploiters of our land and people. Whilst members of the Democratic Alternative call on all the workers, farmers, youths , students, women and the unemployed to rise up in truth for the development of our land as Gani would want it, we equally warn the people to beware of his tormentors who will now shed crocodile tears by paying insincere tribute to this great man, this great Nigerian whom they tormented in his life time. Gani whom they jailed for speaking out on behalf of the people; Gani whom they sent violent men to attack in his home when they had sleepless nights as a consequence of his popular crusade; Gani whom they hated because he stood for truth, justice and fairness in the management of the immense resources of our land. Yes, they will come out with fake condolences. Beware of them. The workers, farmers, youths, students, women and the unemployed can only truly celebrate this man of the people by coming together to build a mass political party with a programme for the rapid economic development of Nigeria to retrieve our people from the morass of poverty and deprivation to which the right wing politicians have sentenced them in sixty years of exploitation and cheating. Let us remove the exploiters from power. Let us come together and build a socialist economy from which the working people will derive a quality of life that is commensurate with the best that is available anywhere in the world. That is the objective we pursue in the Democratic Alternative and Gani loved it. Capitalism, in particular nurture capitalism that the right wing rulers are imposing on the country will only enrich a few and foreigners to the continuing detriment of the masses. All members of the DA commiserate with the family of a mentor, Gani Fawehinmi. We know that Allah has accepted him into Al Janah, the paradise of love where Gani truly belongs. May his good soul rest in perfect peace. For Democracy and Liberation Dr Abayomi Ferreira President Democratic Alternative
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