Human Rights Defender and Reason

By

Mohammed Bala

mohammedbala@hotmail.com

Dear Sir,    People talk from experience, while from experience, some don't talk. I have a lot of respect and recognition for the erstwhile legal expert, Chief Gani Fawehinmi, Gani, as he is fondly called. This respect arises from the fact that all along, Gani has consistently been siding with the masses, the weak and helpless of the society who are daily being trampled upon by the powers that be. He has been a critic of thousands of unpopular government's policies that appear to him to be directed against the popular wish of the people. However, despite my unalloyed support for Gani in his campaigns against societal injustices, I sometimes wonder if he was truly doing all that for just the cause of the common man or to himself.

I am beginning to wonder whether our Gani is not being teleguided to make utterances at a time deemed convenient by some hidden hands. Take for instance when IBB said he was ready for the Presidency of this country again and our Gani was among the earliest that openly scolded IBB and his ambition to stand for elections. He loquaciously harped on the issue as if he was the only Nigerian that has a grudge to settle with IBB, or the only one that has as of right to judge on behalf on others what some are or not. It was this aspect of near arrogance and the false belief that his legal knowledge was unquantifiable or that he was better qualified than any other one. Of recent, and as if to buttress the point earlier raised above, Gani quickly rushed to the press with a blistering header on Atiku, screaming that Atiku cannot escape now. So what was he trying to tell Nigerians? That Atiku has already been legally proved to have looted the nations treasury and has therefore illegally enriched himself, by a competent court? Is Gani as legal expert claiming that the findings of the ad hoc committee set up by the President to investigate the VP has forwarded a conclusive report on the VP? Or was Gani just doing what he was knows better, which is being used and blindly pushed to make unsubstantiated analysis on matters that he hardly have any knowledge of? By saying "you can't escape this time" to the VP, was Gani in the picture of what will befell the Vice President very soon? Those wordings, methinks, are tending to suggest that Gani had some inside information on the VP's escape last time. When was that last time and what were charges that the VP escaped from, and from whom or what? Our Gani should be wise enough not to be talking like a dye in the wool conservative, that cannot chew his words before spitting them out. To me, the issue now is not whether the VP escapes or not, no, it is that of charges being substantiated and proved beyond all doubts as Nigerians expect. If that is done and the VP is found to be guilty, of course then the law will take its due course. That remark was highly presumptuous, ill timed and conceived, because all investigative procedures are yet be exhausted.

The platform whereby so-called social critics take centre stage in making analytical gybes blindly, and only making sense in the tiny corner of their thinking, should be examined by Nigerians, especially the educated ones who can equally discern national affairs. The thing is for one to be objective, impartial and without any sentiments while making such comments. After all, our Constitution has adequately made provisions for us to express our views freely, but without any prejudice. Developed countries of the world have made a lot of progress in making assessments on issues reporting and how it impacts on their populace. They hardly allow any rash rushed issues reaching all ears so as not to give any negative impression that may be backwards and negative affect the government and its agencies in the perfection of the led.

Another issue that was supposed to catch the attention of such social critics and supposedly super intelligent gurus, but silently and perhaps mutually avoided by them, was the issue of the Nigeria Ports Authority investigation report by the EFCC duly submitted to the President by Ribadu in person. The report indicted the former chairman of the Authority and still Nigerians have not been told the outcome of the report or actions taken to recover the funds lost by tax payers. It is these type of cases that the so-called defenders of human rights should pester the President until he treats them to logically conclusions and not to just let things die like that without any action taken.

During the Babangida days as President, it was the so-called social critics that took on the government on so many issues, sometimes even personalizing issues. It eventually led to IBB's government arresting Gani and detaining him for a very time in far away Gashua. It was his taking on rulers on issues that ordinarily cannot be allowed to be printed on media pages. With Gani's Gashua prison experience, people thought he will change his ways and employ better ways of criticizing governments. It is natural that from time to time, government might falter in decision making, but what is to be understood is that governments are headed by humans, and therefore prune to committing mistakes. Of course if criticisms are objective they must be taken with a view to making amends. But where they just appear because someone hates another's face, they became subjective or even vindictive. As a well educated, experienced and tested lawyer, we expect Gani to always demonstrate that notion that sees Lawyers as honorable gentlemen of the bar. He should try as much as possible to be saying the right about any body or issue that borders on national interests, instead of picking some and leaving some. He should try to cultivate the habit of respect for leaders so as to earn respect himself. It is a well known fact to all, that Atiku is still holding the of the Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and he must be respected as himself and the office he holds. The on going travails of the VP not withstanding, as it is not yet uhuru for his accusers. If people like Gani should drag their gowns into the political scenario, they should do it fully and under any half instincts, and they should play it with dignity and respect to one another, otherwise doom awaits any one that prays for doom on another.

The President of Nigeria, Olusegun Obasanjo has taken to decision to now fully investigate the alleged wrong doings of his Vice by first receiving the report of the committee he earlier put in place. He has also forwarded same to the National Assembly for further investigations and possible impeachment. But it would have been proper for the likes of Gani to elucidate further to Nigerians whether the Executive has any Constitutional backing to initiate investigations on misconduct committed by it or not, or if it is solely the right of the National Assembly to initiate that kind of diggings into the Executive's affair, than engaging in swift reactions on matters that are yet to be verified.