According to the book of Ecclesiastes, there is season and time for everything. So, there is a time to for joy, there is time for sadness, there is time to laugh and time to cry.

These biblical maxims are apparently lost on Barrister Gani Fawehinmi, as he chose the most inauspicious time, to engage in his beyond the pale commentary directed against President Olusegun Obasanjo of Nigeria .

Barrister Fawehinmin ignored all precepts of decency as he engaged in his garrulous commentary at a time Nigeria mourned the death of 117 passengers and crew of the ill-fated Bellview Airlines flight 210. Gani was indecorous on this occasion.

I am personally disappointed at Gani’s lack of grace and class, in his efforts in the name of criticisms of President Obasanjo’s public policies. Gani patriotism has never been in doubt to me and for that matter no Nigerian would doubt where Gani stands on Nigeria ’s progress and advancement toward national greatness.

I must also confess that I studied law essentially because of Gani, who was celebrated by a student Union, when I was a boy, as he was held shoulder high upon winning a legal battle on the behalf of the Students’ Union, and I was sold on the idea of due process and the rule of law as a tool, an instrument and wonderful machinery of justice, the empowering lawyers to assist the powerless multitude, Gani therefore, was an inspiration and an impetus for my love of the legal profession. I have always respected and admired him as a lawyer and as Nigerian with the most astute political analyses and complete good sense.

But Gani has just overdone! Gani has overplayed his hand and overplayed his role as ombudsman for good governance or battle worn critic.

It is completely unreasonable on Gani’s part, that he chose a very sorrowful moment for Nigeria, to engage in his belligerent preachment to President Obasanjo, who, apart from being the presiding officer, and president of Nigeria, Nigeria, a country in national mourning as a result of our collective loss in a plane crash, and the particularly personal loss suffered by the president and first family, due to the sudden death of Mrs. Stella Obasanjo. Whatever anyone thinks or thought of Mrs. Obasanjo, she has died.

Whatever anyone thinks of President Obasanjo, he is just bereaved.

Gani wrote agonizingly about his son, and yet, he glossed over the sorrow of President Obasanjo who is grieving over a very personal loss of his wife, a woman, who by all accounts, stood by our president, through thick and thin, his near death experience under late General Abacha, and also through the thickset of his political travails in current dispensation. Why did Gani choose this most inappropriate time to berate President Obasanjo? What was the point?

Contrast and compare the tastelessness of Gani commentary at this inauspicious time, with the general deference that all Americans of all political, economic, cultural and racial persuasions offered to President Bush after the events of September 11, 2001 . President Bush suffered no personal loss. Bush lost no family member.

President Bush’s presidency began on a very sour note. He came out of a fractious election that generated suspicions and extreme bitterness, of chad, pregnant chad and dimple chad, as election results were held in abeyance, until the United States Supreme Court finally awarded the election to Mr. Bush…. But for the terrorists attacks of 9/11/01 President Bush was walking a very tight political rope, from the unpopularity of his award by the US Supreme court, but the national tragedy of 9/11/01 change everything.

Americans became patient and understanding with Bush’s every tentative and Bush every learning steps, until he started to use and abuse the national deference to him, which arose out of a national tragedy.

General Buhari paid condolences and respects to the dead, so did Professor Soyinka, of these two, every Nigerian alive or dead, know where they stand on Nigeria’s national issues, whether we agree with Buhari and Soyinka or not…. But for a moment, these two buried their hatchets! They acted with refinement, with deep reflection and circumspection.

No Holy Book, neither the Koran nor the Bible, and or, even common sense, in any culture or language would applaud Gani for his flippant commentaries at a time President Obasanjo and Nigeria are mourning the twin tragedies of October.

What Gani did was distasteful. Gani indulged himself, it was bad judgment.

General Buhari and Professor Soyinka imbibed the maxim contained in the book of Ecclesiastes which clearly states that there is a time for everything. Nigeria mourn the passing of Mrs. Obasanjo and the 117 passengers and crew of Bellview Airlines flight 210

And so, quite unlike Mrs Yinka Oladapo who took Dr. Reuben Abati of The Guardian Newspapers to task, for chastising Gani for attacking our president, a man who is mourning a very personal loss and a national losses, a president who is in private and public mourning! I am in full agreement with Dr. Abati, Gani tactless, tasteless and crass commentaries were ill-opportune and Gani ought to apologize for his bad judgment on this occasion. Gani was not only un-African, he was inhuman! He acted without compassion and sympathy. Gani’s behavior did not engender good feelings, nor did it elevate public discourse, his commentary on this occasion, did not serve any public good.

Robot  Villager

# 1 According to the book of Ecclesiastes, there is season and time for everything. So, there is a time to for joy, there is time for sadness, there is time to laugh and time to cry.These biblical maxims are apparently lost on Barrister Gani Fawehinmi, as he chose the most inauspicious time, to engage in his beyond the pale commentary directed against President Olu...Read the full article. Posted by Robot| 10.11.2005 00:34

Unregistered

# 2 Chief Gani Fawehinmi's comments were though correct and made sense, but the timing was just not the best. He spoke the minds of millions of Nigerians but, the only snag was the timing. But that does not make him a wicked and in-human being as being claimed in some quarters; but on the other hand, he allowed his passion and emotions to get to him when he was writing the letter to the president. We should not however throw out the baby with the bath water just because he wrote the letter at the 'wrong time'. After all said and done, the Government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria should sit tdown and address the fundamental issues he raised in his letter.That I believe is the most pertinent in the long run!!! May the souls of Mrs Stella Obasanjo and the victims of the 22/10 Bellview airline crash Rest In peace!!! OAE Posted by Unregistered| 10.11.2005 02:53

Mango

# 3 Typical. People like Paul Adujie and Rueben Abati pretend to be better Nigerians, forthright, educated, etc.. etc.. Articles like this show you up as just the same as the people that have brought the country down to the current level. The only difference is that you guys have not had a chance to take a bite of the national cake. Why can Gani not criticise Obasanjo at the time that he did? Pls explain it to the many Nigerians whose relations died on that day of Malaria and other poverty related diseases. The result of our non-existent health system. Tell it to all the people who died on our death-trap roads on that same day as Stella died. And I could carry on and on. It is easy for Paul and Rueben to quote the Bible when their close relative has not been a direct victim of the disaster that is Nigeria. Instead of hammering and constantly pressuring our leaders into the path of progress, we make excuses for them. Did you, or anybody else ask Stella to go to Spain for Cosmetic Surgery? Whose money do you think was spent for that fatal trip? Why bring sentiments into this? Why bring Religion (the Bible) into it? I firmly believe that Religion has been one of the major downfalls of Nigeria. It is a symptom of all poor, failed communities - Nigeria, Pakistan, Black people in the diaspora. We hide behind it, rather than face up to our responsibilities. We wait for God to deliver us, rather than fight for what is ours. If America waited for God, they will still be under British rule. Got to stop as this is getting my blood pressure up. Rueben and Paul, I'm disappointed in you guys! Posted by Mango| 10.11.2005 03:15

Unregistered

# 4 What a load of rubbish. As a lawyer you should know better. Gani spoke what every nigeria is thinking. So get off his case. Posted by Unregistered| 10.11.2005 03:24

Unregistered

# 5 Paul Adujie is a colomental agent of an oppressive state. He is only doing his master's bidding. Posted by Unregistered| 10.11.2005 03:38

Mango

# 6 I won't be surprised to find that Paul has his eye on a small contract from Aso Rock, or some hope of some sort of political appointment! Gani has been standing up for the oppressed long before Paul got his Law Degree. To attack Gani in this way for standing up for the downtrodden majority of Nigerians, frankly, amounts to TREASON against the people of Nigeria. I can't see any difference between people like Paul who write this type of RUBBISH, and people like IBB who physically steal our money. Why? Because people like Paul give people like IBB comfort. And that is what the thieves thrive on - comfort from people who claim to be more righteous. Posted by Mango| 10.11.2005 03:39

Unregistered

# 7 According to Mango, "He spoke the minds of millions of Nigerians but, the only snag was the timing." There was nothing wrong with the timing. Is the death of one corrupt person of more import than the daily death of the many innocents resulting from the criminality of the corrupt? It will be a serious and fatal moral failure on our part to state that criticism has an appropriate time if delay results in damage. There is no appropriate time, because Africans haven't got time. They are losing it fast. Posted by Unregistered| 10.11.2005 03:51

Unregistered

# 8 =Unregistered>According to Mango, "He spoke the minds of millions of Nigerians but, the only snag was the timing." There was nothing wrong with the timing. Is the death of one corrupt person of more import than the daily death of the many innocents resulting from the criminality of the corrupt? It will be a serious and fatal moral failure on our part to state that criticism has an appropriate time if delay results in damage. There is no appropriate time, because Africans haven't got time. They are losing it fast. Pls note that Mango did not write what you quoted above. The usernames comes BEFORE, not AFTER the posts. My opinion is that this article is stupid, scandalous, etc.. etc.. Posted by Unregistered| 10.11.2005 04:18

Unregistered

# 9 First of all, the original article demonstrates a significant logical flaw: the bible indeed does state that that there is a "time for everything", but it does NOT state that Gani's timing in this situation was inopportune. Ergo, one cannot claim that "the Biblical maxims were lost on Gani Fawenhimi". Secondly, Gani's timing was perfect. Hundreds of Nigerians die (and are grieved over) every day due to lack of medical infrastructure - what time is more appropriate? EVERY DAY is a day of Mourning for one Nigerian or the other. Thirdly, the fact that the Nigerian Head of State's wife saw fit to travel to another country for medical treatment is an EMBARRASSMENT to all of Nigeria! How pathetic can a nation be to tolerate such flagrant disregard? Posted by Unregistered| 10.11.2005 05:41

Unregistered

# 10 Gani's article was not only factual but a true picture of the state of affairs of Nigeria. Timing? Who is setting the standard for timing? Abati and the writer of this piece are simply stating the obvious, the average Nigerian is consistent but Gani remains the most consistent Nigerian alive today. Posted by Unregistered| 10.11.2005 06:43

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