Ganiat Fawewhinmi, wife of the late human rights lawyer, Chief Gani Fawehinmi, and a group of activists, on Monday, called on the Federal Government to immortalise the late legal icon by naming the National Human Rights Commission building in Abuja after him.
They made this call at the press conference organised by the Gani Fawehinmi Memorial Organisation in commemoration of the deceased's posthumous 75th birthday.
Fawehinmi, popularly called Gani, was born April 22, 1938 and died on September 5, 2009 at the age of 71.
In his address, the Chairman of GAFAMorg, Mr. Ayodele Akele, said naming the NHRC building after Gani, would help in immortalising the deceased and his ideals of fighting for the rights of the weak in the society.
He said, "Therefore we want to use the occasion of this 75th posthumous birthday press conference to remind the Federal Government of our demand made at the last year's memorial program for the immortalisation of Chief GaniFawehinmi with the hope the FGN will carry it out without further delay."
Others, who also extolled Gani's virtues and called for the deceased to be immortalised were the National Chairman of the National Conscience Party, Dr. Yinusa Tanko; Chairman, Lagos Zone of the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Associaton of Nigeria, Ven. Folorunso Oginni, and Dr. Joe Okei-Odumakin, who was represented by Mr. Jonathan Obi.
Akele said apart from naming the NHRC building after Gani, the Federal Government should replicate the Lagos version of the Gani Fawehinmi Freedom Park in Abuja where aggrieved Nigerians would be free to ventilate their angers.
Addressing journalists, Ganiat said, if Nigeria were to be a decent society, GAFAMorg needed not to clamour for the immortalisation of his husband for his good works while on earth.
Ganiat said she would continue to fight for the ideal of her husband, who he said would have made Nigeria a better place if he was allowed to rule the country.
"Nigeria would have been a different place if he had been allowed to lead this country. I remain resolute as before. I will continue to be identified with anything that will change this country," she said.
Akele said there must be a change in the country so that efforts of the likes of Gani would not be in vain.
