When the news filtered into City People Newsroom, a few days ago that Mohammed Fawehinmi, the eldest son of the late Human Rights Lawyer, Chief Gani Fawehinmi, was about to turn 50, it was a pleasant surprise to many that Gani’s little son of those days has come of age.
How has life been since his dad passed on? How has he been able to step into the large shoes his dad left behind? How has life been as the head of the Gani Fawehinmi family? These and many more were the questions City People duo of SEYE KEHINDE and ISAAC ABIMBADE asked him months back in the comfort of his GRA, Ikeja home in Lagos. Below are excerpts of his interview on life at 50.
How does it feel being the head of the family? How has it been stepping into Gani Fawehinmi’s shoes?
Haa! It’s been tough. In my next life I will come as the last born. His shoes are too big for anyone to step into. It is not easy. There are some decisions you just have to make. The weight of being the head of the family is not an easy one, particularly for someone like my dad, who catered for so many people. You don’t have to be a member of the family. All you needed to tell him was that this guy is brilliant, he needed scholarship. I quickly told them, that one, I cannot do. But he has a team that selects. If you want to apply, go and apply there. All I do is to go and present the cheques to those selected.
I can tell you it’s not easy. Haa! Chief tried! For a man who trained 254 lawyers. Some of them became CJs. Some of them became Senators. One of them is the National Assembly Liasion officer. Senator Ita Enang. There are so many where do I want to start? It’s just impossible. The amount of wisdom and love he had applied in dealing with all those people. Ita Enang is with Buhari. Festus Keyamo is with Buhari, Festus Keyamo told me a lot about what Buhari is doing. This Buhari came and stopped stealing. No more stealing! That is how he became enemy to everybody.
At 50, I thank God I still have all my siblings. I thank God I still have most of my friends I grew up with, especially the ones in Sokoto and UNILAG. The Sokoto ones are important because we were the ones who faced the onslaught of Maitatsine people. We were the ones who faced all the poisonous snakes. About 33 different types of snakes. We faced the vultures. We faced hyenas. We escaped sandstorm which goes straight into the eyes. There is nothing I won’t thank God for, escaping Sokoto, escaping Maitatsine and escaping anti-SAP riot of IBB. Haa! I have every cause to thank God.
How have you been able to cope with your spinal cord injury?
I have good advisers as doctors. Dr. Fadayomi is one of them. He was a childhood friend of my dad. And the man who recommended that I go abroad for an operation. He is retired now. He told my dad to send me to Coventry. We call him Papa. He is an Ijebu man. He is one of those who advised me on the kind of drugs to take because there are some times when the pains hit. I can’t even say this is how it will be like, but once I take those drugs, I will feel better. It is one of the reasons I decided to go back to law practice just to keep myself busy.
Occasionally, I go to the National Stadium when I have time, to work out. So, I operate from here, at home. You can see all the newspapers. I am trying to copy Gani.
How has it been running the Law Report Publishing company your dad left behind?
Haa! it’s been tough. I will say I wish Chief was still alive. Haa! There are some decisions that we had to sit down to argue; fight to the point where for about a period of 2 to 3 months, we and the Trustees were not in good terms at all. To us, it is as if they wanted to destroy that legacy and the company, because Gani had a different idea. They had a different idea; they have the Stereotyped Investment idea. The one Chief used was an unusual legal one, and that is the one that should super-intend. But they made us understand that at this point, they have to mix it. The whole meetings blew up. We would leave the meeting in anger.
We eventually came to terms with the fact that we can’t remain on the analogue; we are going to digital very soon. Hopefully, it’s going to be on Chief’s birthday, April 22nd. We are trying to correct all the flaws now. God will see us through. We plan to put so many pages online. Right from 1st of October 1985, that is when the weekly law reports started. All the young lawyers want it on their laptops, tablets and androids. They don’t want the voluminous things. They want to access it easily. But eventually, when they mature a bit they will realise that they need the hardcopy. We have to continue to print the hardcopy and reduce the number or volume of those ones that we print. It’s not been easy. If Chief was alive, he would be totally opposed to the idea. He would call it yahoo. He hated yahoo!
The day his (Gani) Confidential Secretary, Mr Agbo, created an email account for him. He shouted. He asked what is the email? They told him ganifawehinmi@yahoo.com. He shouted! Are you mad? Do you think I do fraud? He threw books at him. He pursued him, he ran after him. And the man kept asking Chief, What’s the problem? Later on, Mr Femi Aborisade, who was very close to Chief now explained to him that this is the new thing in vogue. He now said really. So, Mohammed (meaning me) too has an email? Can you imagine, that little boy has an email. Mohammed that I pay salary, Mohammed that I take care of. He now called his Secretary, I hear you gave Mohammed email and you gave Femco. He now explained to Chief how it works. Chief now asked how many emails does Mohammed has. He said 1. Good. Chief now said go and get me 100. At any cost. The man now said it’s free. You don’t need to pay for it. Chief now said really. Hmmm! Education is a continuous process. I thought I was an educated man. But see, I don’t know what an email is. One has become a dinosaur. Femi, you people need to be educating me. It is sad for Mohammed to have email and for him to say my dad did not even know what email is all about.
It took, at least, 3 years before we could settle down at the law report arm, with the members of the Board of Trustees. We now had to calm down, because of Chief, the sacrifices he made for the masses. So, everybody brought their ideas to the table and we harmonised them. Happily, Mr Adetola Akinsolure played a very important part. He is the oldest man on the board and he was the one who formed the Nigerian Law Publications.
When your dad was alive, how come all his aides were from all over Nigeria?
That’s Chief for you ooo. His aides were from everywhere. He had Igbo, Hausa aides. He picked from anywhere. When he went to Bauchi Prisons, he brought Useni. Useni’s mum used to cook for him when he went to prison. He took on Useni because he couldn’t pay his school fees. He just brought Useni home one day and he became one of us. Useni & I used to sleep on the same bed. He sent him to UNN. He later worked in NNPC. Chief brought in people to live with us at random. My mum must have taken care and cooked for, at least, 28 MDs, who are alive today, including Mojidi Ajao. He liked Mojidi because he is brilliant. He sent him to Secondary School and A Levels, then to U.I. Then, Mojidi started working at Nigerian Law Publication when he couldn’t get a job elsewhere. Then Adindu Iguzo too worked as a Librarian. He called them one day and said you couldn’t be working as Librarians and not knowing about Law. He sent them back to their respective schools and enrolled for Law. That was how both of them became Lawyers. And they both qualified the same time. Anytime Chief was going to court, they went with him. Once he was ready, he would call them, Mojidi and Adindu, Oya lets go.
Chief didn’t like the fact that I love parties a lot. He used to say everything about Mohammed is socials, socials, socials. There are so many people Chief trained. He did not discriminate. I think his Chambers was the only Chambers that had more than 19 of his employees from different States, all over the federation.
