Could Gani Fawehinmi have been a military rule apologist?
A snippet of Fawehinmiism 2012
In brief introduction, CM is the magazine's chosen public lecture out of many that could have been delivered. This is in keeping with our cultural philosophy of delivering to the public the contextual facts in purpose of given public lecture, conference, seminar, workshop, symposium or colloquium as informative; to be useful.
The 8th edition of Chief Gani Fwehinmi lecture/symposium with the insignia of Fawehinmiism stood out in the month of January -- not necessarily for being the first in the month – but for the symbolic parameters of event of the time in state of Nation; the theme of the project Fawehinmiism; and the social philosophy of the personality subject being celebrated.
The coincidence of Fawehinmiism Day and the relevance of the lecture topic with the populist public expression of anger against the draconian policy for masses terminal prejudices by the Federal Government was a symbolic rise of the Senior Advocate of the masses (S.A.M.) from the grave in response to their wailing of clarion call to their defense against the euthanasia pill in fuel subsidy being prescribed as remedy to the subsisting bad prognosis of their welfare. In this wise, that the Matriarch and the scions of the fierily dreadful to dictators rose to the challenge of emerging contemporary one became a mere complement not too dissimilar to the man's lifetimes'.
With the topic: ‘Nigeria's Socio-conomic Mal-Administration; Any Possibility of a Revolution’ delivered in the heats of a seismic signs of a revolution with the civil disobedience that paralysed governance for 8 days running at the time Gani Fawehinmi came to life in his remembrance day, it was a time to, perhaps, bring the man before the public for a measure of vote of confidence for a reaffirmation of his tittle of S.A.M. Thus in the eulogies were the elements of his symbolic citation in unconscionable segued precedence to the main lecture. It was from this the magazine made its deduction of issues from contrasting submissions in the welcome address of the host, the ex-chairman of the NBA, Ikeja Branch, Adebamigbe Omole Esq and the speech of the Guest of Honour, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, Governor of the State of Osun.
In seemingly way of defining Fawehinmiism, Omole said it was an 'annual lecture/symposium in honour of Chief Gani Fawehinmi in recognition and celebration of his unparalleled crusade against military tyranny and misrule as well as his unalloyed and unwavering contribution to the advancement of democracy in Nigeria”.
But in his own speech well articulated in content of the complete man in Gani Fawehinmi, whom he equally acknowledged to possibly suffer from the cancer that eventually made him a deceased from the successful dictators' different assaults on him, Aregbe said: “Although, Gani was not thoroughly opposed to military rule”.
Going deeper into the symbolic glare of the day, Aregbe raised the curious coincidence of the Jan 15 2012, where the country was boiling in turmoil of political crisis and the January 15 of 1966 when the military first struck. Ironically. Fawehinmi was called to the Nigerian bar on January 15, 1966.
As if drenched in this date of recognition for Fawehinmiism and the inexplicable mysterious correlation to the aberration of military encroachment into politics, Aregebe was quick to warn that every crisis thrown up by the process of democratic rule was a challenge to deriving a basis for deepening the democracy; because as he noted, “democracy, no matter how bastardized, is better than the most benevolent military rule”.
However, Aregbe extolled the virtues of Gani Fawehinmi to the high esteem. This was a man that “rose from commonnism through hard work”. So he remains – even in death -- a man to cherish because “in spite of his success and wealth, he equally stood as the voice of voiceless and advocate of the defenseless”. All through his life was dedicated to the cause of masses, his basic philosophy about the cause was that any opportunity of a leadership at governance is an “opportunity to provide for the welfare of the people”.
With the doggedness of his commitment to the search for better life for the masses as the social class constituency he identified with, he “was an extra-ordinary man; a human being of special specie… so illimitable to be brought down to the ideology of socialism or capitalism”. All he sought was a country of equitable justice in fair distribution of the nation's commonwealth for the people to live a comparable life to those of the well advanced countries, whose meaningful lives were only the consequences of good governance.
While we wait to get published, the realistic contents of the guest speaker's lecture for public use, it may not be worth while to leave this poser of controversy to continue to trail this noble man. Was Fawehinmi a military apologist?” Discuss!!!
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