Ganiyu Oyesola Fawehinmi, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria and former presidential aspirant, who will be remembered by many for his vehement opposition to Nigeria’s oppressive military regimes, is dead. He died at 71. The human rights activist and lawyer passed away in the early hours of September 5, 2009 after a two-year battle with lung cancer.
Mr. Fawehinmi, popularly called Gani, was born on April 22, 1938, in Ondo State. His father, Saheed Tugbobo Fawehinmi, the Seriki Musulumi of Ondo, was a successful timber magnate, a great philanthropist, an opponent of excessive taxation of the poor and a deeply religious muslim leader. He was reported to have brought Islam to Ondo Town.
Mr. Fawehinmi had his early education at Ansar-Ud-Deen Primary School, Iyemaja, Ondo from 1947 to 1953 and he attended Victory College, Ikare, a christian secondary school from 1954 to 1958.
In 1961, Mr. Fawehinmi enrolled at the Holborn College of Law, University of London. While in college, he was popularly known as “Nation” because of his passionate interest in national, legal and political affairs.
In 1993, Fawehinmi was awarded the biennial Bruno Kreisky Prize. This prize, named in honour of Bruno Kreisky, is awarded to international figures who advance human rights causes. As a result of his activism, Mr. Fawehinmi was arrested, detained, and charged to court several times by government officials. Many Nigerians called him ‘the people’s president’.
Details about Mr. Fawehinmi’s funeral have not been announced but the activist had said that his burial should not be rushed, and that his family should consult with the National Bar Association to arrange a befitting burial.
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