//-TRIBUTE TO A LIVING LEGEND: GANI FAWEHINMI-//

It is no doubt, Chief Ganiyu Oyesola Fayehinmi popularly known as Gani lived and died for being the voice of the voiceless, the disadvantaged, the cheated, the oppressed and the ignored masses of his beloved country. Being very blunt, I am not used to writing eulogies because, hardly have I seen someone who deserved such in my generation. In the case of Gani, the only Nigerian who was dubbed the “conscience of the nation”, his live and death cannot be equalled. As far as I know, no one has lived the kind of life he lived, died and buried like this Senior Advocate of the Masses in Nigeria.

I would have liked to compare him with the likes of Obafemi Awolowo, Nnamdi Azikwe and Ahmadu Bello, but I do not belong to their generation. It is difficult for me to take him side by side with Winston Churchill because I was not in England; I was not also in France to give accurate account of stewardship of Napoleon Bonaparte. I am aware Indira Ghandi was another selfless person worthy of commendation, but unfortunately, I was not in India. I was not a witness to the good life lived by Abraham Lincoln of the United States of America and Kwame Nkurumah of Ghana. Another person that could be likened to his selfless and humanitarian concern is Nelson Mandela. Meanwhile, the later is still living and a South African while Ganiyu is dead and a typical Nigeria. I guess everybody would agree with me that the thorn in the flesh of desperate dictators lived a life worthy of emulation and thereby deserves my tribute. Indeed, Gani Fawehinmi’s death is a rebirth to life eternal in the hands of history.

Sacrifice is about what a person can do to make people become proud of themselves and through charity that begins at home with the person, what a person can do to make everybody proud of being human beings. What matters to God and humanity is sacrifice which is rooted in eternal values because it is the heart of all values. Whatever is attained through and by sacrifice has always lived forever. That is why Gani Fawehinmi, the pride of sacrifice and the glory of silence shall continue to live, speak and demand the same thing that constitutes the core area of his life as long as this space, this world, this humanity remain.

Our dear Ganiyu suffered bruises with bloody face-offs for others to live. He was a regular guest in several military and police cells all for standing up on the side of the truth whenever there was an infraction of rights of others. In the epic battles, nothing seemed too much to sacrifice, including his life. He was beaten, arrested, dehumanised, tortured and tried for false criminal charges. All these notwithstanding, Gani was happy doing what he liked to do best. Everybody likes you, everybody appreciates you. The death of Gani on the 5th of September, 2009 though through cancer, is not a tragedy but a celebration of life well spent.

But for the cruel hand of fate, the social critic would have subjected the horrific revelations emanating from the nation’s banking sector to the analytical expertise of his large legal laboratory and pointed the way forward. More so, the rare gem would have opened the eyes of the executive and legislature as the electoral reform machine of the current administration seems to be losing steam. We are going to miss him in all ramifications.

Gani was born great, he achieved greatness and greatness was bestowed on him. Everybody misses Gani, even his arch enemies. Most people miss him passionately while some miss him indifferently. However the detribalized friend of the people is missed, one thing is certain, he will be remembered for ever. The entire human rights community will miss him, he will be missed as a rare gem in the legal sector, in politics, he will be missed as a messiah who would have saved the nation, the National Association of Nigerian Students will miss him as a great and courageous man, in the international community, he is definitely going to be missed as a hero and in all facets of life, we will miss our Gani dearly.

It is actually difficult to find exact words to describe how much I appreciate this great man of honour and integrity. Though, he was many things to many people, he was a brilliant lawyer, defender of the helpless, courageous human rights activist, humanitarian, philanthropist, and a staunch Muslim. I prefer to describe him as a LIVING LEGEND. Gani was a positive influence who brought light to countless lives and inspired all who came in contact with him to inspire always for excellence. One of the eminent sons of Ondo State, HE was a successful leader who developed several other leaders in Nigeria. ADIEU GANI.