The late fire-brand human and civil rights crusader and lawyer, Gani Fawehinmi, could have lived a life of absolute luxury free of the dozens of arrest and detention he suffered, fighting for the common good. But he took and walked the rough path, unflinching and determined.
Read a narrative of his prison experience in Gashua, in northern Nigeria, where he was imprisoned for 121 days in 1989:
“The cells there are terrible. I was detained there in 1989. So I know what I am saying. The cell is about 18 feet by 10 feet. It is surrounded by yet another big terrible wall which is 22 feet. So there is no way air is going to penetrate this cell.
“The windows are so tiny; it is built in such a way that when you peep out of the windows, it is the outer wall that you will see. The outer wall overshadows the cell completely. There is just a little space between the cell and the wall. So I started sweating the very moment they opened the cell and locked me in.
“The cell I was put is Cell D, which is a solitary confinement, far removed from other cells. The cell has no ceiling; it has only perforated sheets which make heat penetrate fully into the cell. The floor is not cemented; there is no bed, no mattress. In my case, I was given a mat.
“Anytime I remember that cell, I get agitated because of what I suffered while in detention. At one corner of the room, there is a very small pail, at another corner of the room is another small pail. I used the one by the left for defecation, the one by the right for urinary purposes.
“Anybody who is imprisoned in Gashua is bound to face numerous hardships. The first is lizards. For my room alone, there were no days I counted less than 100 lizards physically. Second are flies. Maiduguri is nothing when you compare it with the flies in Gashua. There are also mosquitoes. Its vibration is the [the kind of] noise you have at the airport when a jet takes off and it usually happens around noon everyday.”
Guess who sent him to prison in 1989?
Former military president, General Ibrahim Babangida (IBB).
It’s ironic that the same IBB would say Gani “made his criticism with facts” backed “with “facts and figures”. IBB spoke about Gani post posthumously, saying “we have lost one of our boldest, most fearless and best Nigerian and if I have my way, I will immortalize him because I have greet respect for him”.
I’m sure Gani must have sneered at IBB when he made those statement.
What are words but empty insincere sayings from some quarters well noted for Maradonaism. Gani Fawehinmi will earn his rightful place in heaven. He will see his reward on his enemies, when they languish in hell… begging for water to cool their burning souls. RIP Gani Fawehinmi. You have done your best, now over to your proteges. You will not labour in vain. Nigeria will follow your teachings someday…
September 11, 2009 at 6:24 pm