Fawehinmi fought to keep Nigeria’s political space open — Uba Sani
KADUNA — Kaduna State Governor, Uba Sani, has said late human rights lawyer and activist, Chief Gani Fawehinmi, made significant contributions to Nigeria’s democracy by fighting to keep the country’s political space open.
Sani spoke on Saturday in Kaduna at the public presentation of a book titled, Gani Fawehinmi and Uba Sani: A Tale of Mentor and Mentee, written by Mrs Basirat Fawehinmi Biobaku.
The governor recalled that Fawehinmi spearheaded the legal struggle against stringent conditions imposed by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, on political associations seeking registration.
He said many human rights and pro-democracy activists became disillusioned during the period, but Fawehinmi refused to allow frustration to turn into despair.
According to Sani, Fawehinmi urged activists to have faith in the judiciary, rule of law and democracy, while using democratic processes to defend democracy.
He said Fawehinmi and former Kaduna State governor, Alhaji Balarabe Musa, subsequently approached the courts to challenge INEC’s position.
The governor said the legal battle lasted more than two years before the Court of Appeal delivered judgment in their favour in 2002.
He added that INEC appealed the judgment to the Supreme Court, which also ruled in their favour in January 2003.
Sani said the verdict helped to open Nigeria’s political space and paved the way for the emergence of more political parties.
He urged Nigerians to remember those who fought for political plurality whenever new parties emerge and citizens exercise their constitutional right to political association.
“Democracy has a history, and every freedom has a cost,” he said.
The governor said many Nigerians exercising political freedoms today might not know that such rights were secured through difficult struggles by people like Fawehinmi.
He urged activists, politicians and academics to periodically remember Nigerians who fought and sacrificed for democracy.
Sani described Fawehinmi as not only a fighter for political freedom but also a committed pan-Nigerian who believed in developing every part of the country.
He said the late activist advocated the empowerment of citizens irrespective of their region, ethnicity, religion or social standing.
The governor also highlighted Fawehinmi’s commitment to education, which he said led to the establishment of the Gani Fawehinmi Scholarship Foundation.
Sani recalled that he was entrusted with coordinating the foundation’s scholarship programme in Northern Nigeria and subsequently persuaded Fawehinmi to establish a major scholarship scheme for brilliant but indigent university students across the region.
He said the initiative was necessary because educational deprivation was particularly severe in Northern Nigeria at the time.
According to him, the programme awarded scholarships to more than 1,000 indigent students in universities across Northern Nigeria.
Sani recalled travelling to universities across the region with others to identify deserving beneficiaries of the scheme.
He said many of the beneficiaries had since become medical doctors, lawyers, academics, engineers and other professionals contributing to national development.
The governor recalled that at the flag-off of the scholarship scheme 26 years ago at Arewa House, Fawehinmi challenged Northern leaders to address educational backwardness.
According to Sani, Fawehinmi warned that failure to tackle educational backwardness could turn it into a monster.
He said the warning remained relevant, noting that many of the challenges confronting Northern Nigeria were linked directly or indirectly to inadequate investment in human capital.
Sani described Fawehinmi as one of the most formidable Nigerians of his generation, saying he placed principle above comfort and justice above personal convenience.
“He used the law as an instrument of liberation and defended ordinary citizens against arbitrary power,” the governor said.
He added that Fawehinmi contributed immensely to Nigeria’s struggles for democracy, accountability and human dignity.
Sani congratulated the author of the book, Mrs Basirat Fawehinmi Biobaku, for documenting the mentorship relationship and its wider national significance.
He said the book was not merely about a mentor and mentee but also about courage, democratic struggle, social justice, education and leadership, as well as the responsibility of one generation to prepare another for service.
NAN
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