Executors Of My Husband’s Will Dishonest - Ganiat Fawehinmi

Ganiat Fawehinmi, widow of human rights activist and lawyer, Chief Gani Fawehinmi, tells NKRUMAH BANKONG-OBI and SIMON ATEBA about the family’s experience since the death of her husband four years ago

It’s been four years since your husband, Chief Gani Fawehinmi, died. How have you been coping without him

It’s been very tough and rough. I now feel the pinch more than when he just passed on. Initially, I thought his death would just fade away from my memory, but now when issues come up, like what is happening in the country, I realise that he did a lot for this country. It’s a pity that the country does not seem to appreciate it. If there was appreciation, when he wanted to be president, they would have voted for him. He could have turned the country around and we wouldn’t have been in the mess we are today. What I miss most is that usually at this time of the year, when the courts are on vacation and the children are on break, we usually travelled abroad with all the children. 

We travelled in two groups. I would go with the girls and he’d go with the boys and we’d meet there. It was like a working holiday. His first point of call usually were the bookshops and if he saw the latest books, he bought them even if it meant emptying his account. You could see my two boys, Mohammed and Saheed, and I carrying books. He too would carry until we got to the station to take the train and later, a taxi home. I have not been able to do that since he passed on. The only time I travelled out was when my son graduated. I had to be there for him because I didn’t want him to say: ‘Mummy, when I graduated you weren’t there.’ I had some money, Mohammed and my daughter in the United States sent me some money, and I travelled for the graduation ceremony.

While he was alive, this place brimmed with people and activities

You are right.

And what is the situation now

You can see it’s like a ghost town. You don’t see anybody here anymore, except a few people who come when they need our assistance. Sometimes, I tell them that Chief is no more and I have always been a housewife; I never worked and the little money he gave me, I tried to manage it to make ends meet. What I can do, I always do, not that they should expect me to do everything for them. I tell them it’s not possible.

How did you meet him

That’s a long story. I met him through my late sister. Her son, Mr. Muyiwa Oladapo, now in Osogbo, works with the Ministry of Statistics. He was celebrating his first birthday and I was in school then. She wanted me to come and assist her in taking care of the children. That was it. Fortunately, my sister’s husband, the late Chief Tunji Oladapo, was a friend to Chief. They were classmates at Victory College, Ikare, and they were neighbours in Ondo. His father was living at Idimala, while Chief’s father lived at Okedasa. Their houses were just behind each other. When they left school, they were still friends. So, I met him there.

What year was that

That was 1966.

You have taken up the gaunlet in terms of contributing to national issues, through taking part in protest marches, releasing press statements etc. Is this being done to continue Chief Fawehinmi’s legacy

That is the objective and that is the idea. The human rights people are not united, if I should put it that way. It’s like everyone for himself, God for us all. When Chief was around, anything that happened relating to national issues, he  used to call them. He would say, let’s issue a press statement or do this. Atimes, he went to court and most of them joined him; people like Femi Falana and Mike Ozekhome who, unfortunately, has been kidnapped, joined him sometimes. In court, even if they were not the ones arguing the case, they assisted Chief to get some facts. Any idea that occurred to them, they told him and whatever came to Baba he said it. They were all working hand-in-hand. But now, there is no unity and it’s very shameful. I’m not happy about it.

You are a Christian

Yes, I am.

How did you cope with the differences in faiths, given he was a Muslim

It was not difficult at all because Chief, I have always said, was not a fanatical Muslim. He wouldn’t say if you are not a Muslim don’t come to me or I can’t talk to you like some people do.

The reverse was the case with Chief. Although his father was the Seriki in Ondo, Baba was like a freethinker. All he cared for was that you be good to your fellow Nigerian; be your brother’s keeper.

How did you put up with his temperament because he was reputed for being quick tempered

That’s a very good question. There is no temperamental person that I can’t live with. When he was angry, I calmed down. Yoruba people say when there is an argument, one party should be agutan (sheep) and the other ewure (goat). The sheep is calm, while the goat is unruly. So, anytime he was angry, I just withdrew and sat somewhere or took a newspaper and read. When he calmed down, I’d go to him and apologise. Sometimes, I knelt down. People said I was a bush woman for doing that. I don’t see it that way. Each time I did that to him, he felt I understood that he was the head of the family and he was happy with me. He was someone who had a forgiving spirit. If you apologised, he accepted it and that was it.

You are from Ijebu and he was from Ondo. How did his people receive you

Initially, I must confess, they didn’t like it that he wasn’t married to an Ondo girl. He said he couldn’t find anyone he could take as wife. He had them as girlfriends when he was in school in England, but felt they didn’t have the attributes he wanted in a woman. That was why he didn’t take an Ondo wife.

You mentioned a few names of people who worked with Chief. Now, many people from the human rights community are in government at various levels. Can you offer an assessment of their performances

I have not seen any of them that has measured up to the standard I would have liked. If Chief was alive, he would have been monitoring them and telling them to do this or that for the people. But who is going to do that now? Many of them are there because they could not beat those in government, so they joined them. I don’t blame them, they want their bread and butter. But man doesn’t live by bread alone, as the bible says. Beyond  money, what next? Money is not everything. Chief wasn’t the richest lawyer; you know that yourself. He was just comfortable, not rich. I can’t say he was rich in the Nigerian context. A rich man would build a mansion, not a small house like this. They throw money around, some of them buy private jets. He never did that. He rode a moderate car. Initially, he was using Peugeot cars. Then, the press said he could buy a better car. When they started pressuring him, he bought a Toyota car. When he wanted to vie for the presidency, they said he needed a bigger car. That was when he bought the SUV. He rarely used it, anyway.

I understand he didn’t allow you pursue your education to a higher level. How did you take it

I wasn’t happy. My parents too weren’t happy. But he assured them that he would take good care of me. And he did. If you read his will, you’ll see how he took care of me. Everybody in the family is taken care of, including the extended family. He gave scholarships to some of my brilliant nephews and nieces.

How old were you when you met him

I was 16 years old.

And you got married at what age

I was 19.

Majority of the common people, whom Chief Fawehinmi represented, feel bad about his decision to close down his chambers, the symbol of his struggle. How did you recieve the news of the closure

I was shocked. That was the only thing that shocked me, I must confess, because he has two children from me who are lawyers. I have three step-children, who are also lawyers. His nephew, the son of his younger sister, studied Law, too. That’s why I don’t understand that decision. But he must have had a reason for it. I know he was a smart man, who thought deeply before acting or reacting. What I think must have prompted him to do that might be that he didn’t want his name to be soiled through his chambers. Two, you know they threatened to sell the chambers once, when they gave a judgment against him to pay N6 million. Tai Solarin of blessed memory stood up and said Gani should not  pay the fine. He said if they really wanted the money, the Nigerian public should pay it. He said if every Nigerian paid one naira, they could pay the N6 million and still have some change. Solarin started the Gani Fawehinmi Solidarity Association in Baba’s absence. We started asking for donations, people contributed well over N6 million. So, they didn’t sell the chambers. People also said anybody who bought the chambers was going to be burnt inside the chambers. I don’t know who wanted to buy it, anyway. I think that must have been a reason he closed it. When he was alive, he could handle the case himself and probably win. But when he is no more; you know what people can do. So, I think that must have been the reason, but I’m not sure. I’m just putting two and two together.

He had another woman and even recognised her child in his will. How did you take that when you knew about it

I wasn’t happy because I thought I had done everything he wanted me to do. But since he had decided to do that, I had no option but to accept it. The only thing I told him was that I will never sleep under the same roof with any woman. I’m happy he respected that and never put me in the same place with any woman.

How is the family taking care of the child recognised in the will

She is well cared for. The school fees are being paid. She is given a monthly allowance, as we all are. They rented an apartment for her mother. He said they should give her N1 million, because, according to what I heard–I didn’t hear it from Chief– the lady wanted to do business. So, he said she should be given N1 million to start up the business. That has been done.

How do you assess the Jonathan administration

I have not seen anything he has done. The reason I say so is this: He was there before Yar’Adua passed on. Apart from that, he was deputy to Alamieyeseigha in Bayelsa State. Following the arrest of the governor and his subsequent impeachment, Jonathan became the governor. He was the Vice-President under Yar’Adua, and now he is on a full term of his own. By 2015, he would have done eight years in the Presidency, as Vice-President, Acting President and President. He has done already about 14 years at various levels. A man who has spent such time in government can’t even stabilise electricity supply, and we have everything that we could use to achieve that. There is the solar option, using the sunshine in the country all year-round. And there are Nigerian experts, who can do it. Instead of doing that, he went to sign a Memorandum of Understanding of $1.6 billion with someone connected with France, Germany and the European Union and they just went away with the money. The fellow did not bring in a single metre of wire, let alone erecting anything. And when Nigerians asked that this man return the money, it was Jonathan who was arguing the case on his behalf. He said conflict of interests. What does that mean? He should have allowed him to come and tell Nigerians what he had done with the money.

Again, he said he went to China when children were killed and burnt in their boarding house in Maiduguri. I don’t know the type of memorandum of understanding that he was going to sign that couldn’t wait so that he could commiserate will the parents of those kids.

How do you rate the fight against corruption by this administration

He isn’t fighting corruption. The President himself is corruption. Do you know why I say that? He encourages the corrupt people. Look at Maina, the former chairman of the Pension Reform Task Force. He went away with the pension funds and they said he ran to Ghana. Ghana is close to us here. If you can’t contact the President there to bring him back, you can contact the Interpol. Wherever he is, Interpol will bring him out. The pensioners die daily, the very people who gave their blood, sweat, everything to this country. Pensioners in those days were not like civil servants who do so many things alongside their jobs now. They focused on their jobs. And now, you don’t pay them their stipend. It’s very ungodly, to say the least. I don’t think he knows that God is watching. Everything we do on earth, we are going to give account before God. You won’t be in power forever, even if you spend another term; I don’t think Nigerians will give him the mandate. If they put on their thinking caps, they should not give him another mandate because he has not done anything. He has battered the country. But he sorrounds himself with sychophants.

Al-Mustapha has just been released by the appeal court. How did you receive the news

I was very angry on that day. Honourable Justice Oputa handled the case at the Human Rights Violations Investigative Panel or Oputa panel. Chief was there too. It was the day he carried Dele Giwa’s life-sized photograph to the sitting of the panel. People offered to help him, but he said no. That day, I heard al-Mustapha saying that he had done what his boss asked him to do and that if his boss were to come back to life, [Abacha had passed on then] he’d want to serve him even more. What does that imply? He did not deny giving the instructions. What he is saying now is an afterthought. And if you read this little book chronicling what al-Mustapha said in court, you will get what I’m saying.

The Lagos State government has taken the matter to the Supreme Court. What’s your view

It’s beautiful and a welcome idea. Although I didn’t know Kudirat intimately, but as a woman, she did what she ought to have done. If I were in her shoes, I would have done the same thing. The husband won the election and someone just stood up and annulled the election and then put him in prison. Did you expect the wife to sit down and be looking? For God’s sake, she had to go out to do whatever was within her power to make sure that her husband was released. Unfortunately, Abdulsalami killed him.

What do you make of the public conduct of Mrs. Patience Jonathan

I have never met her. But I think she is not doing the right thing. The reason I say so is that she must have heard Nigerians discussing her husband. It is her duty to take that massage to her husband. If I was in her shoes, that’s what I would have done. Listen to the news, especially on FRCN where people complain ‘we haven’t got electricity for three months, yet they bring bills to us’. She should be calling his attention to such things. It doesn’t take much to give us power. In the past, Ghana depended on Nigeria for power, petroleum, almost everything. Now, they have celebrated ten years of uninterrupted power supply. What has Ghana got? I’m not trying to put that country down. But Nigeria can buy Ghana over and over again. We are so blessed with everything. Yet, we don’t have anything to show for it. Nigerians are fleeing the country en masse. That is why the British government introduced the £3,000 bond for first-time visa applicants for people coming from some countries.

What do you miss most about your husband

I miss everything about him. His sense of humour, his care, his patriotism and his kindheartedness. He didn’t  discriminate; he was a detribalised Nigerian and his chambers represented people from all states of Nigeria. There was no state that was not represented before he passed on. I also miss the fact that at this time of the year, we always went on holidays with the whole family. We enjoyed and came back refreshed, happy and looking forward to the next year.

Are there activities lined up to commemorate the fourth anniversary of his death

The only thing I’ll do is to go to church on that day, pray for his soul to rest in perfect peace and that the good Lord should take care of the family the way He has been doing. We cannot arrange any activity because as you know, he gave his will to First Trustees and they’ve been doing it the way they like. Most of the things that Chief wrote in the Will they don’t even do it. There was a time Mohammed wrote about 67 letters, I think, the first two years after Chief died. He used to say according to clause so, so, so, my father said the family should feed the beggars in Ikeja.

Until he writes them, they won’t give us anything. Feeding the beggars is not something I can do with the little amount I’m given. When Chief was alive, he was doing it on a monthly basis, but then I don’t know why he said we should be doing it every three months. It’s when they like that they give us the money to do it. Then there is this scholarship award he was giving, there are so many people that I can’t say exactly how many because there are some that are not documented. They just come with bills and say, “I can’t pay my children school fees,” then he would tell his accountant to go to the school with his secretary and find out if really they were not able to pay the fees. If they came back with a report that they weren’t able to pay the fees, he would give the money to that person to go and pay in the name of the student and bring the receipt. But there are some that are documented.

Every year, he said that we should  give to ten persons, but after he passed on, people just started coming as though Chief were still alive. Some even come with evidence; we saw the cheques he wrote and we found out from the schools and they confirmed that he was paying such school fees. But how do we continue with those things when the money is not readily available? Even the ten he said we should give, it used to be a tug of war. Mohammed asked them if they could increase this to 20 since the company is still going on and we can afford it. I don’t know if they answered him or not. When they started administering the will, Mohammed and his brother were running the company. Before Chief passed on, he had a meeting with Mohammed, Mr. Akinsulure, currently the auditor/accountant; and Mr. Mojid, current managing director (formerly acting MD), on  19 August 2009. He told them that in view of his ill-health, he was stepping down for Mohammed to be the executive chairman, while his brother, Saheed, should assist him because of his (Mohammed’s) condition and that Chief himself would be an ordinary director but that his shares should be left undiluted. So when they got the probate and took up the mantle, they [First Trustees] wrote a letter to Mr. Akinsulire. We didn’t know then. Mr. Akinsulire replied that the meeting took place and that Chief said that he was stepping down. Mr. Mojid Ajayi was there, Mohammed was there. Then, they said because they did not see any written document, they could not honour that meeting.

They froze the company account for three months. They didn’t give us anything. According to the will, Chief said they should be giving us a monthly allowance. Thank God for Chief’s friends, who were giving me something then, maybe I would have starved to death. You can imagine not giving me any money for three solid months. Although when Mohammed wrote to them, they paid it in arrears. Again, the key to the master bedroom is still being held from me up till now. They said Chief kept his memorabilia there. I told them they were stupid. Chief had handed everything over to me because he said I’m the only person he could trust with those memorabilia and that  I was always there for him all through the time he was detained. He knew what I went through during those times. Thank God that I’m alive now and the whole thing is over now. Up till now they haven’t given me the key, so if there was no other room here, maybe I would have been sleeping on the streets or go to my friend’s house and sleep there because it is not possible to be sleeping in the same room with Mohammed and Saheed. If they were girls, that would have been okay. But all my daughters are married. Will I go to my in-laws’ houses and  live there? That is what they have done to me.

What exactly are they saying? Are they saying the company is not making money to finance what Chief laid down

I don’t know. We asked them but they haven’t told us anything. There was a time they said the company was not making profit. I said: ‘Say that again.’ I was one of the people who formed that company, the Nigerian Law Publications Limited. The first book that Chief wrote, it was myself, Mohammed and Saheed who proof-read it. Since1987, we have never run that company at a loss. I don’t know why it is when you took over now that you are running at a loss. I said our company did not make any loss, they replied that the company did not make profit in 2010. But I know why they said that. You know, in Chief’s will, he said at the end of every year, apart from giving us monthly allowances, at the end of every year, after paying all the bills and salaries of staff, 25 per cent of whatever is left should be shared equally among all the 16 children. So, by their logic, when there is no profit, what do you share? I saw that as their trick, but there was money to pay their own salaries but no profit to pay the children what my husband said they should pay them. So in December 2011, they wrapped a beautiful gift and brought it here. Unfortunately, I wasn’t at home. My daughter had a baby in Ghana and I was there. So, they kept the present for me.

When I came back, they said that, ‘First Trustees brought you this present.’ I said, What for? They said, ‘For Christmas.’ I asked, Which Christmas? If I had died of hunger could they have given me Christmas gift? So, I just took my paper wrote a stinker. I told them that I would appreciate it if they could write two separate cheques for each of them, representing the years 2010 and 2011. When I showed it to Mohammed, he said it was too harsh. He deleted some things, made it nice and said I should sign. I signed and sent it because Chief said whatever he said should be binding on all of us.

September 10, 2013