Lagos State Unveils Gani Fawehinmi’s Statue

Late Gani Fawehinmi statue

Gani Fawehinmi Honoured By Lagos State Government

A new statue of the late legal dignitary, Chief Gani Fawehinmi, was yesterday unveiled by the Lagos State government at the Liberty Park, Ojota, saying that the 44-foot edifice symbolises the phenomenon that the rights activist represented in his lifetime.

Governor Akinwunmi Ambode in a statement while unveiling the statue, in commemoration of the 80th posthumous birthday of the late icon, affirmed his administration’s commitment to celebrate personalities whose action had helped to define the fortune and spirit of Lagos State positively over the years.

According to the governor, the late human rights activist would continue to remain a hero and role model for many people.

“We celebrate the invaluable contributions and personal sacrifices of Chief Gani Fawehinmi in the campaign for human rights and dignity, especially in Lagos State where he spent the greater part of his life. Also in the hallowed corridors of the law courts where he fought many battles, he was revered as a titan. Also his acts of philanthropy were borderless,” he said.

The governor, who was represented by his Deputy Governor, Dr Oluranti Adebule, affirmed that his administration would continue to draw inspiration from Chief Fawehinmi’s struggles and ideals in its quest to make life more meaningful for Lagos residents.

Mohammed Fawehinmi, the late activist’s son, who spoke on behalf of the family appreciated the State Government and Gov Ambode, saying that apart from being a befitting representation to the legacies of their patriarch, the statue would place their father’s name on the global map.

Femi Falana, Senior advocate and rights activist who was present at the unvieling also appreciated the state government for honouring Fawehinmi with such an imposing edifice.

“The monument we are unveiling today is one of the best in the country, and it has to be so. We can assure you that many Nigerians or anybody who enter Lagos through this road will want to find out who is here and every day we are going to teach lessons about Gani Fawehinmi,” Falana said.

Comrade Issa Aremu, the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC), Deputy National President, also appreciated the Lagos State government for the statue, saying it was well deserved.

“We appreciate the Lagos State government, ably led by Gov Ambode, for the honour done to our mentor, our leader, late Chief Gani Fawehinmi. For us to identify with this occasion is a total commitment because when the late chief was alive, he was with us totally.

He was there on the streets joining our protests and several times when we were being harassed with black market injunctions, Chief Fawehinmi was always there to defend us,” Aremu said.

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