THE Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has said it received with great shock the news of the death of Mohammed Fawehinmi, the eldest son of iconic human rights lawyer, Chief Gani Fawehinmi, who died on Wednesday at the age 52.
Similarly, Chief Bola Ahmed Tinubu, former Lagos governor and leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Kayode Fayemi and Joe Okei-Odumakin, all expressed sadness over the death Fawehinmi.
In a press release on Thursday by the NLC, Comrade Ayuba Wabba, its president, said it is another tragic moment for the family of the great legal luminary and Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) and Senior Advocate of the Masses. “The Nigeria Labour Congress extends our heartfelt condolences to the family and friends of Mohammed Fawehinmi,” Wabba said, adding that the deceased, who was also a lawyer, proved to be a worthy son of his father.
“Barrister Mohammed Fawehinmi will be remembered not only for his brilliant legal mind but also for his commitment to the less privileged in the society through charity works. It is worthy of note that Barrister Mohammed Fawehinmi and the members of his family continued to uphold Late Chief Gani Fawehinmi’s legacy of genuine commitment to the vulnerable and less privileged.
“Until his death, Barrister Mohammed Fawehinmi became the rallying pillar for the family and estate of Chief Mohammed Fawehinmi. He was a shining success in maintaining unity and solidarity within the Fawehinmi family since the death of the patriarch of the family. There is no doubt that Mr. Mohammed Fawehinmi will be sorely missed,” the NLC said.
He kept the fire of his father activism burning – Tinubu
For Chief Tinubu, in a condolence message by his media aide, Tunde Rahman, in Lagos on Thursday, the late Barrister Fawehinmi was a committed activist who, like his late father, was dedicated to engendering social justice and development through the instrumentality of the law. Tinubu said the deceased had kept the fire of his father activism burning since his passing.
“But for the incapacitation arising from his devastating road accident, Mohammed would surely have risen to the full stature of his potential. Even then, he refused to be constrained by his physical state or confined to the wheelchair. Rather, he continued to battle in court defending the poor, weak and oppressed Nigerians like his dad.
“Like his father also and like activists they both were, Mohammed also mounted the streets to agitate for democracy and good governance,” Tinubu said as he extended his condolences to the matriarch, Ganiat Fawehinmi, and eldest daughter Bashirat.
It is a loss to the generality of Nigerians – Fayemi
On his part, Ekiti State governor, Dr Kayode Fayemi, in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Yinka Oyebode, described the death of Fawehinmi as shocking and unfortunate as well as a loss to the generality of Nigerians.
“It is a great loss not only to the late Fawehinmi’s family and the Civil Society Organisations, but also the masses whose rights Mohammed fought to protect,” the statement reads, adding that the younger Fawehinmi, like his father, was very passionate about getting Nigeria to work better for the citizenry.
He said the deceased always sought a better Nigeria through constructive criticisms of the government and that the deceased spent his life in the service of humanity, despite being confined to the wheelchair.
“In spite of his health challenge, Mohammed continued in the acts of his father who also fought for the masses as their advocate. His vision, courage and patriotism were just like his father’s. His demise will definitely create a huge vacuum in the fight for the liberation of the masses.
“On behalf of the government and the people of Ekiti State, I commiserate with the family of the deceased, civil society organisations in Nigeria, as well as the government and the people of Ondo State on this irreparable loss,” the statement said.
He was a chip off the old bloc – Okei-Odumakin
In her condolence message on Thursday, Joe Okei-Odumakin, President, Women Arise for Change Initiative, described the deceased as a chip off the old block “in every way.”
“Mohammed attended rallies and kept the flame of activism burning in the Fawehinmi clan and indeed, the national circle of activists. He relegated the designs of a fateful accident aside and performed all his obligations creditably.
“We are devastated by the sudden death of our dear Mohammed Fawehinmi. This one death too many, was communicated to us quite early but the shock was arresting, alongside the need to find the best way for the immediate family to absorb the effect of this tragedy,” she said
The deceased had a degree in Law from the University of Buckingham, England and was called to Nigerian bar in 1998. He had a near fatal accident in 2003 in Lagos, which affected his spinal cord, confining him to a wheel chair.
