Romance with Gani Fawehinmi (II)

It seemed the award of The Senior Advocate of the Masses from the Obafemi Awolowo University students was the tonic Gani needed to fly into another

It seemed the award of The Senior Advocate of the Masses from the Obafemi Awolowo University students was the tonic Gani needed to fly into another realm. He simply became unflappable and unstoppable. If Gani was throwing pebbles at the oppressive and repressive governments before then, he took on a renewed vigour and began to hurl boulders in the direction of Nigerian rulers. He became a one-man riot squad. Like a steroid-injected bull, he turbocharged against those he felt had stultified our growth and progress as a people. He fired from all directions and hit his targets with amazing accuracy. And his main weapon was the rule of law which turned out to be more decapacitating to those who did not want to be distracted from their mission of lawlessness and oppression.
A heavy price naturally awaited Gani for his irrepressibility. It is one of those miracles of the 20th Century that he did not die sooner than later. In all these battles, Gani acted on principle. Even if others disagreed sometimes on the workability of his methodology, Gani was intractably tied to his life of quintessential struggle. He believed no act of injustice must go unchallenged. My closeness to Gani gave me access to his breathtaking activities. And I must confess, those activities contributed immensely to my rapid promotions in Concord newspapers.
In 1989, I was suddenly posted from African Concord magazine to join my bosses Mike Awoyinfa and Dimgba Igwe, with others, to start what would turn out to be Nigeria’s biggest weekend paper, Weekend Concord. I was reluctant at first, principally, because I had underrated the awesome power of reporting lifestyle and man-on-the-street stories. But Gani encouraged me to accept any assignment as an act of fate and it was for me to make the best of it. And true to his prediction, Weekend Concord launched me big time. It was at Weekend Concord I wrote some of my best stories, and Gani was my veritable source of exclusives.
In 1989, Gani waltzed his way into Nigeria’s most notorious prison in Gashua. And this particular ordeal made him the hottest news item. Gani appeared about 3, 210 times in the daily newspapers, in form of news items, editorial comments, letters to the editors, cartoons, and so on. This came to an average of nine news entries per day. Gani’s name appreared in about 562 magazine stories, at the average of eleven news entries per week. And he adorned 27 magazine covers for those periods. Practically all the magazines and newspapers in Nigeria wrote one thing or the other on Gani. But Weekend Concord stood out of the crowd.
Gani and I became soul mates on September 18, 1989, when he was arraigned before the Transition to Civil Rule Tribunal in Lagos. He was shocked to find out that I had smuggled myself into court and very close to where he sat, despite the unprecedented security cordon around him on that day. I still wonder what talismanic charms teleported me into that room undetected. Gani maximized the little chance we had by speaking rapidly to me about his excruciating experience in the scorching heat of Gashua. I would later break the news that Gani had grown beards in prison. And the Weekend Concord got our ace cartoonist, Boye Gbenro to sketch an imaginative caricature of Gani and his beards, since no photographer was allowed near Gani.
Gani was eventually released on October 15, 1989, after being held for four months minus two days. And the drama of the release was a stuff of thriller. Weekend Concord came out with a stupendous account of this extraordinary voyage on October 21, 1989, and it was a blockbuster. It would remain one of my most compelling stories. My access to the ancient palace of Oduduwa, the progenitor of the Yoruba race, in Ile-Ife, gave me that rare advantage. The Ooni Adimula of Ife, Oba Okunade Sijuwade Olubuse II, had been approached by the monarch from Gani’s hometown of Ondo, Oba Itiade Adekolurejo, the Osemawe of Ondo, to intervene in Gani’s matter. The people of Ondo were very worried that Gani’s poor health might kill him in Gashua. The Osemawe made about nine trips to Ile-Ife to liaise with The Ooni to use his influence to get Gani released from the sharks in power. The Ooni was very keen and used his extensive networks to positive effects.
On August 4, 1989, Mrs. Ganiat Fawehinmi and Chief Ayo Adebanjo, an Awoist and veteran of the Treasonable Felony saga, were allowed to visit Gani in Gashua. On that gracious day, Gani was also granted access to his personal physician. Gani was shocked to see them. He was even more surprised to hear of the intervention of The Ooni and Yeye-Oba of Ile-Ife, Chief Mrs. Hannah Idowu Dideolu Awolowo, the formidable widow of the late sage, Chief Jeremiah Obafemi Awolowo.
A breakthrough in Ooni’s effort was achieved on August 31, 1989, when the custodian of the much-dreaded Decree 2, The Chief of General Staff, Vice Admiral Augustus Aikhomu, paid an august visit to the palace in Ile-Ife. His protocol had arranged a one-hour itinerary for him, but they were dead wrong. The powerful monarch had better ideas on how to kill protocol. The Ooni could not have flown in some gold-plated cutlery and sparkling chinaware for nothing. The idea was to pamper the visitor in the true tradition of The House of Oduduwa. On the bandstand were two of Ooni’s favourite musicians, Dr Victor Olaiya and Chief Commander Ebenezer Obey. And the CGS got the treat of his life. While the merrymaking went on, The Ooni skillfully led his very important visitor into his inner chamber where he mentioned Gani’s case.
Two days after, Gani’s energetic wife, Ganiat, surfaced in Ile-Ife to thank the Kabiyesi for his fatherly role. She was accompanied by Ayo Adebanjo, Dr Olu Onagoruwa, Mr. Tayo Oyetibo, and Gani’s younger sister, Mrs. Fagbemi. The Ooni assured them that “all would be well.” The Ooni even planned another joker when Gani appeared before the Tribunal in Lagos on September 18, 1989. While an assemblage of 170 legal luminaries bargained to represent Gani, Chief Godwin Olusegun Kolawole Ajayi (SAN) emerged mysteriously to lead the intimidating flock.
Unknown to many at the time, Chief G. O. K Ajayi, who holds the traditional title of The Odole of Ile-Ife was very close to The Ooni. The Odole title was last held by Chief Obafemi Awolowo. The Federal Government was jolted by the unprecedented galaxy of lawyers who offered to defend Gani. They included conservatives like Chief Remilekun Fani-Kayode (SAN) and Chief Theophilus Benson (SAN) even if some of the volunteers did not make the team eventually.  The case was adjourned and Gani was returned to Gashua but The Ooni did not relent in his efforts. Gani’s frail looks had given serious cause for concern. The Federal Government must have also done a quick arithmetic on how to extricate itself from the potential tragedy of carrying Gani’s corpse to his family. And The Ooni provided that escape route for the government.
The Ooni had received a signal that Gani would be released to him in Ile-Ife. On October 14, Mrs. Ganiat Fawehinmi, Dr Tai Solarin, Dr Olu Onagoruwa, and Chief Ayo Adebanjo, and others received their urgent summons from The Ooni. The same day, the Press Secretary to the CGS, Mallam Yusufu Mamman, announced that The Ooni would have to act as “guarantor” for Gani. That was fine by Gani’s family who desperately wanted their breadwinner back alive. Tai was the only one who did not sleep in Ife. Gani’s mother, Alhaja Munirat, Gani’s wife, Ganiat, and son, Mohammed, stayed in the palace. Chief Adebanjo, Chief Ajayi, and Dr Onagoruwa, all stayed in Ile-Ife to welcome Gani. Also present were Gani’s sister, Mrs Fagbemi, and Gani’s staff, Tayo Oyetibo and Leke Sanusi.
Gani’s arrival was stunning. He was shocked to see his adorable mother in the palace. Alhaja Munirat was there to prevent Gani from starting another trouble immediately. As soon as he came, his mum cupped her breasts the way she must have fed him in infancy. This was a traditional way of eliciting total submission from one’s child. Gani went flat on the floor and paid obeisance to his mother. Prince Dapo Sijuwade, The Ooni’s younger brother, welcomed Gani into the palace. And Gani’s sense of humour came to fore at this stage. He teased the charming prince over his weight: “Dapo, why not use the swimming pool here. You were slimmer when we met in New York the other time. How about your children, those boys I saw, seven feet, seven feet!” Prince Dapo could not help but laugh, and replied that the boys were in Howard. Then Gani faced the Press, and narrated his arduous journey from Gashua to Ile-Ife.
“We were going on and on and on. Suddenly we got to Ile-Ife here and I asked ‘are we going to Ilorin or which prison this time.’ The man was just smiling. Then I just saw the Kabiyesi’s palace. I said ‘Ooo! They want to surrender me to the leader of the Yorubas.’ “Gani then met The Ooni by the pool side where he prostrated flat to pay homage to the influential monarch. Gani’s mum also went flat on the floor to thank Oba Okunade Sijuwade for his benevolence. It is worth quoting some of Gani’s words in this special tribute, in a country where History is not a compulsory subject, and for the sake of our new generation who may not be this fortunate to witness this type of historic experience:
“Kabiyesi, I thank you. I don’t know how to express my gratitude to Kabiyesi but I now know how to recognize a true leader when I see him. Kabiyesi has shown tremendous leadership in this matter. In any way, he has only justified his pre-eminent position in this country. On August 4, this year, that was my first realization of the efforts of Kabiyesi, when I saw our elder lawyer, our brother lawyer, Ayo Adebanjo and my wife. They told me the details of the efforts made by Kabiyesi. I told them openly to help me thank Kabiyesi, but I kept the other to myself. And this is an opportune time to say very clearly to the world, leadership consists in activities that bring succour, hopes and joy to people and in the sharing of their feelings, however tough the situation may be.
“Although, as a traditional leader, you are not expected or supposed to be in politics, this is an exemplary and highly unprecedented leadership action you have shown. Honestly, I did not expect it on one hand…And on the other hand surprised of what happened at a particular time. And I will like to disclose what happened…because I like to be frank.
“I was counsel against Kabiyesi when that stool was to be fought in this town. I was counsel for his opponents, as a lawyer.
“Then I was amazed in 1981, when I was appointed the Chairman of a Tribunal by ASUU and the students of the University of Ife, to head the commission of enquiry into the death of four male students and one female student, which arose from crisis which was brought about by the death of a student, Arogundade.”

To be continued.