Falana described the late Fawehinmi as a defender of the masses, who in spite of his physical challenge, contributed his quota to the development of the country.
By Jeffrey Agbo
Lawyer and rights activist Femi Falana has called on the citizenry and political actors to take next year’s election seriously in order to address the myriad of problems facing the country.
Falana stated this on Thursday at the first anniversary of the late Mohammed Fawehinmi Lecture and Book Presentation in Lagos.
Fawehinmi, the eldest son of the legal icon and human rights activist, Gani Fawehinmi, died on August 11, 2021, at age 52.
Falana advocated for a law barring all public office holders from travelling out of the country on health grounds.
“Enough of health tourism. Anybody who holds public office must be treated in Nigeria for any health challenge. Public office holders must die here,” he said.
The legal luminary commended Vice President Yemi Osinbajo for undergoing knee surgery in one of the hospitals in the country and called on the government to pay more attention to developing the health sector.
Speaking on the theme: “Nigerian Masses and the Election,” Falana advised Nigerians to challenge political candidates on salient issues, noting that the 2023 general election was beyond religion and ethnicity.
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“The business of next year is not a joke. The people must challenge their parties to address the various issues the country is facing.
“Questions should be asked on health issues, Academic Staff Union of Universities strike, insecurity, economy and their position on all these issues and how they plan to end them for good.
“I don’t care which party you belong to. What is important is that people should ask questions and reject the high living conditions in the country,” he said.
Falana described the late Fawehinmi as a defender of the masses, who in spite of his physical challenge, contributed his quota to the development of the country.
“Mohammed (Fawehinmi) lived a life worthy of commendation and impacted so many lives positively. He kept the flag flying doing justice just like his father, a great Nigerian and a passionate human rights activist,” he said.
Fawehinmi died from COVID-19-related complications. He was confined to a wheelchair for 19 years.