SMH!!! Families Of Late Gani Fawehinmi, Fela Kuti Reject Centenary Awards, Soyinka Might Reject His Too

The families of late human rights activist, Chief Gani Fawehinmi and afrobeat king, Fela Anikulapo Kuti have rejected the Federal Government’s Centenary awards for late Fawehinmi and Fela respectively, Nobel Laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka seems is on the verge of rejecting his too. See their reasons after the cut...

Gani’s family

                                                      

The family of the late human rights lawyer, Chief Gani Fawheinmi has turned down his nomination for a centenary posthumous award.  

According to the letter sent to the presidency via the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Chief Anyim Pius Anyim, and signed by Mohammed Fawehinmi, for and on behalf of late Gani Fawehinmi family, the family said they acknowledged the receipt of the letter and commended the federal government for considering their father for the honour but cited the reasons above for turning down the offer.

The letter read in part, “We want to thank the Federal Government for considering our late father for this honour. However, for reasons stated here under, our family has decided it would be inexpedient to accept the award.

“Our late father was empathetic to the sufferings of our people, particularly students. In the last 72 hours, 43 innocent students were mowed down by the blood- thirsty Boko Haram terrorists in Yobe State, while 20 other girls were similarly abducted by this same band of terrorists. These girls are still in captivity while their fate is unknown. If our late father were to be alive, would he be wining and dining with all the glitterati at a Centenary celebration under these circumstances? Certainly no.”

“In the past few weeks, the polity has been assaulted with putrid odour of corruption with the alleged $20 billion missing in NNPC, a development that became the Archilles heel of Mallam Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, the suspended Governor of Central Bank. As an anti-corruption activist, if he were to be alive, our late father would have confronted the issue head-long and possibly gone to court. With the issue still raging, would our late father have accepted this award at this critical moment? Certainly not.”

“Our late father was unrepentantly for the unity of Nigeria. However, with the level of profligacy in some of the events celebrating Nigeria’s Centenary, our late father would have preferred these multi-million Naira expenditures channelled to our decrepit Teaching hospitals, than unproductive razzmatazz that do not improve the socio-economic wellbeing of our people.

“For these reasons, our family respectfully declines to receive the award about to be conferred on our late father by the government,” the family said.

We won’t accept the award — Femi Kuti 

Femi Kuti, son of the late Afrobeat legend, Fela Anikulapo-Kuti on the other hand said that their family would not accept any centenary award in his late father’s honour.

Femi who made the statement through a Twitter correspondence said, “We have not heard such but I can speak for myself, Federal Government should first apologise for the killing of our grandmother and the burning of Kalakuta.”

When asked if the family would accept the award if the government apologised for the two wrongs mentioned, Femi said, “Like I said we have not heard anything from the Federal Government. But I doubt if the family will accept the award.”

Professor Wole Soyinka

Professor Soyinka noted, “I would have preferred that the entire day of infamy be ignored altogether. I’m even thinking favourably of just ignoring the obscenity, then turning up at the counter-event.”

However, the Nobel Laureate disclosed that he will endeavour to be at the centenary awards slated to take place in London on June 27, during which diasporans will honour 100 outstanding Nigerians in the UK.

Meanwhile, at a gala dinner due to take place at Waltham Forest Town Hall in East London tagged Nigerian Centenary Awards UK, diasporans will honour to 100 Nigerians who have excelled in various fields in the UK over the last 100 years.

The list of awardees:

Sir Samuel Manuwa, Professor John Edozien, Dr Moses Majekodunmi, Professor Olikoye Ransome-Kuti, Professor Oladipo Akinkugbe, Professor Latunde Odeku, Professor­ Nelson Oyesiku and Dr. Funmi Olopade. Others on the list include Professor Oyin Olurin, Professor Orishejolomi­ Thomas, Professor Bello Osagie, Dr Beko Ransome-Kuti, Professor Ade Elebute, Dr Akinola Maja, Professor Femi Williams, Professor Ambrose Alli, Dr Dalhatu Tafida, Professor Ishaya Audu, Professor Oladele Ajose, Professor Tola Adebonojo etc.

Other are; the British Monarch and Head of the Commonwealth, Queen Elizabeth II, Sir Fredrick Lugard, Dame Flora Louise Shaw, Ex-Military Heads of State and Civilian Presidents, Chief M.K.O. Abiola, Literary such as Prof. Wole Soyinka and the late Prof. Chinua Achebe.

Also to be awarded are; Chief Gani Fawehinmi, SAN, Chief Odimegwu Ojukwu, Nwankwo Kanu, Alhaji Aliko Mohammed Dangote, Chief Mike Adenuga, Honourable Justice Maryam Aloma Mukhtar, GCON, Sir Abubakar Sadiq III, Pastor Enoch Adejare Adeboye, amongst others.

The award ceremony is scheduled to hold at the Banquet Hall, State House, Abuja.

Some of the categories of the award include; contributors to the making of Nigeria, heroes of the struggle for Nigeria’s independence/pioneer political leaders, pioneers in professional callings/careers, promoters of democratic transition in Nigeria, internationally acclaimed artists, literary icons, journalists and so on.