SAN FRANCISCO, May 07, (THEWILL) – The family of late Gani Fawehinmi has stated that it would accept the latest attempt by the Nigerian government to honour the iconic rights activist for his pro-citizens advocacy.
THEWILL recalls that President Muhammadu Buhari announced on Wednesday that Fawehinmi would be posthumously conferred with the Grand Commander of Nigeria (GCON), Nigeria’s second highest honour.
Reacting to the news, Mohammed Fawehinmi, the first son of the late activist, in the family’s first statement since the announcement, stated that the family would accept it because it truly honoured the memory of Mr Fawehinmi.
Fawehinmi, an advocate of the June 12 agitation, had called on then military President Ibrahim Babangida to recognise MKO Abiola, presumed winner of the June 12, 1993 election, as the winner of the election and hand over to him.
He was consequently jailed alongside other activists over the June 12 debate but he was arguably the most iconic champion of the June 12 agitation.
Since Nigeria returned to civil rule in 1999, attempts had been made to recognise Mr Fawehinmi, even though his criticism of successive governments unabashedly intensified.
He refused to recognise Olusegun Obasanjo, a former military ruler who was Nigeria’s first democratically-elected president in the Fourth Republic, as a democrat or a leader with the interest of the masses at heart.
In 2008, he was offered a national honour as Order of the Federal Republic by President Umar Yar’Adua, an accolade he rejected on several bases of democratic ethos.
In 2014, five years after his passing, Mr Yar’Adua’s successor, Goodluck Jonathan, decided to honour him posthumously with another national honour, but his family immediately rejected this on behalf of his memory.
The Fawehinmis were irked with the inclusion of Mr Babangida amongst those to be honoured alongside their departed patriarch and blasted the Jonathan administration for being insensitive to the traumatic experience which Mr Babangida inflicted on the late Mr Fawehinmi.
“We therefore, find it morally incongruous and psychologically debilitating for our family to stand on the same podium with General Babangida to receive awards,” the family said in the letter rejecting the award.
But Mohammed said the association of Mr Abiola with the latest offer made it difficult to reject like the previous ones.
“It is a welcome development. This is what we have been waiting for over the years. Good Nigerians have made several calls for Chief M K O Abiola to be recognised as a Nigerian president. For this government to have done this, it is a welcome gesture,” he said in a statement.
“It is a good news that M K O Abiola is going to be awarded GCFR honour and Babagana Kingibe to be awarded GCON, It is clear that Abiola was elected the president of this country, the mere fact that he was not sworn in does not mean he was not elected. This has vindicated Abiola.
“For my father’s honour, we thank the government for that. We know he deserved it. We are happy for that.”
“Accepting the award is a fuller affirmation of the commitment and the award is coming at the same time as the recognition of Abiola as the winner of the June 12 election.
“The award to Mr Abiola is a veiled indictment of the old decision by the evil geniuses of yesteryears.
“This would have been my father’s happiest moment, because what he had canvassed for is the now being done.”
