By ADEYEMI ADELEYE

The Gani Fawehinmi Memorial Organisation (GAFAMORG) on Wednesday announced activities to commemorate the 86th posthumous birthday of the late human right lawyer and activist, Chief Gani Fawehinmi (SAN).

The group at a news conference in Lagos also disclosed that activities had been concluded to immortalise the Second Republic Governor of old Kaduna State, Malam Balarabe Musa.

The News Agency of Nigeria NAN) reports that while the great legal luminary Fawehinmi, born on April 22, 1938, died on Sept 5, 2009; Musa, who was born on Aug. 21, 1936, died on Nov. 11, 2020.

Speaking, Mr Babatunde Agunbiade, the Chairman, Governing Council, (GAFAMORG), said that both icons remained dear to the heart of the group and regarded as heroes and mentors.

On the late legal icon, Agunbiade: “GAFAMORG, over the years, always heralds the annual celebration of this iconoclast and enigma with a World Press Conference to usher in his birthday, in this case the 86th Chief Gani Fawehinmi Post Humous Birthday.

“This year will not be an exemption but with a great addition of the immortalisation of another great Nigerian of impeccable stature and reputation, in the person of Malam AbdulKadir Balarabe Musa, a friend of the masses and “Talakawas”.

“He (Musa) was Chief Gani Fawehinmi’s close confidant in ensuring social justice for all to be the standard on how every Nigerians, irrespective of social class or status is to be viewed.”

Agunbiade said that the 2024 event and celebration was scheduled for April 22 and would be held in Umaru Musa Yar’ Adua International Conference Centre, Kaduna, where Musa hailed from.

According to him, to honour these two detribalised human rights and social justice crusader, three themes are carefully chosen for this year celebration.

He said that the themes related to the past and present challenges being faced by underprivileged Nigerians.

Agunbiade, who disclosed that the main theme remained “Social Justice as a Foundation for Human Dignity”, said that the sub-themes were “Towards Restorative Justice System, Paradigm from the Criminal Justice System in Kaduna.

He said that the third theme was “The Northern Almajiris System, Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow”.

“The exploits of both Chief Gani Fawehinmi and Malam AbdulKadir Balarabe Musa who bestrode the Nigeria landscape and fought all their lives in ensuring social equality, human dignity and rights of every Nigerians to have a sense of belonging and live a decent life cannot be over emphasised.

“These duo imprimatur left in the sands of time remain indelible till date, resonating in all spheres of human endeavour.

“Chief Gani Fawehinmi throughout his lifetime always fought for the masses, dregs of the society and equally celebrate with the physically-challenged and beggars.

“While Mallam Balarabe AbdulKadir Musa championed the cause of the less privileged and Talakawas; a noble cause both identified with all their lives in ensuring social justice which must be a template, indices or parameter to measure human dignity,” he said.

Agunbiade said that the two gentlemen stood for multi-democratic political parties, thus winning the case at the Supreme Court including the right of civil servants to join political parties.

“This has greatly enhanced and advanced our Democracy,” he said.

Agunbiade said that GAFAMORG, in its quest to consolidate on the immortalisation of these two quintessential great heroes of their time, believed that social inequality and injustice remained the cause of social vices.

He added that it had led to social insecurities in the mode of terrorism, banditry, kidnapping, armed robbery, “which is ravaging our country, permeates and prevalent in the Northern part and indeed the country in general.”

He said that the event would discuss the panacea to some of these social insecurities and other challenges.

According to him, as part of measures to solving the security challenges, Gov. Uba Sani had approved the programme through Dr Yunusa Tanko, the Director General of the Event.

He said that GAFAMORG was passionately committed to decongesting Correctional Centres, the social in balance of the Almajiris system in the Northern part of the country among others.

“When Malam Balarabe AbdulKadir Musa was with us, he advocated for social equality and equity within Nigerians of all class, to berth/birth a psyche of true citizens of this great country where we are all stakeholders.

“The way out and solution to Nigeria protracted socio-economic problems is true social justice, equality and equity which will makes Nigeria a country, for all and not for few,” he said. (NAN)

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