The notable human rights activist, crusader, mobiliser and the forerunner of Campaign for Democracy (CD), Chima Ubani, had his life cut short at 42, but not without leaving his footprints in the sands of time, writes MARY OGEDENGBE.
Cut short in his prime, Chima Ubani, who died exactly nine years ago, could easily be described as a man of oratory and leadership skills. And like William Shakespeare in Twelfth Night, greatness was thrust upon him.
The born activist
The fierce social crusader and one of the founders of Campaign for Democracy (CD) understood what was demanded of him as a great man – to fight for the oppressed. He didn’t shy away from it; he pursued it, and died without realising the dream.
School mates of Ubani from the University of Nigeria Nsukka (UNN) said he was a wilful and strong activist first before anything else. While at UNN, he stood against powers that clamped down on the rights of the students. Little wonder, he became the Student Union Government (SUG) president.
Being a crop science graduate, Ubani could have chosen the line of his course of study, but he had a different path in mind. As the Executive Director of the Civil Liberties Organisation (CLO), he was one of the finest leaders the organisation ever had, as he had a knack for surpassing his past records. He brought to justice the perpetrators of evil and rose up against abuse.
Unassuming but daring
For many who heard the tales of the great Ubani, what they did not envision was his thin and almost frail frame. He even had a slight deformity preventing him from walking properly. All of these, however, made him even fiercer in speaking up for the subjugated and fighting injustice.
Ubani’s sojourn began to manifest during the General Ibrahim Babaginda regime in 1993. He stood fearless and opposed the administration when the gap-toothed General annulled the 1993 presidential election acclaimed by the majority of Nigerians as free and fair. The election was reportedly won by businessman, Moshood Abiola, who eventually died while trying to claim the mandate.
The activist also spoke up when government clamped down on civil rights organisations, and when corruption reached an alarming height and people were detained without trial.
The General Sani Abacha regime would also not forget Ubani in a hurry. Others who taunted the regime alongside Ubani include Gani Fawehinmi and Beko Ransome-Kuti (of blessed memory), as well as Femi Falana and Olisa Agbakoba.
Death of a hero
On September 21, 2005, Ubani’s journey came to an unforeseen end, as he died in a suspicious car crash along the Maiduguri/Yola Road. He was on a nationwide sensitisation tour of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) to protest the hike in the price of petroleum products during Olusegun Obasanjo administration. He died alongside Tunji Oyeleru, a photojournalist with the Vanguard newspapers and three others – the driver, an NLC staff and a policeman.
The CLO alleged that an explosive device might have been attached to the right front tyre of the car which killed him. The device was said to have caused the explosion that eventually caused the vehicle to somersault multiple times. The organisation mentioned also that there was a possibility that the tyre of the car might have been shot at by local intelligence operatives.
His death left so many shock-ridden, as it was hard to believe that Ubani was gone, especially in a way nobody expected and at a time he was needed. Prejudice is on the increase and the masses are left to fend for themselves.
President of Campaign for Democracy (CD), Joe Okei-Odumakin, at his remembrance in 2012, said: “Seven years after Chima, over 70 per cent of our citizenry are living under the poverty margin.”
Almost forgotten
Agonisingly, the works of the late Pa Alfred Rewane, Kudirat Abiola and so many others will hopefully be remembered, but the cause of their deaths may remain unknown. It is demoralising to know that Ubani’s tales are being swept under the carpet. This is the man who gave his all for a country he cherished.
Aside the Lagos State Government and a few other organisations that deemed it fit to remember Ubani, many have forgotten the iconic activist. Bola Tinubu, while he was the governor of Lagos, gave Ubani´s widow a house at one of the state’s low-cost housing estates. He also gave the twins of the late Ubani scholarship up to university level and named a building after him at the Lagos State Government Secretariat, Alausa.
Also, in 2008, Social Action, a Nigerian civil society organisation, inaugurated The Chima Ubani Centre (for Political Education and Legal Resources) in Port Harcourt to honour him.
The late activist, Bamidele Atiru, had said at the time that the inauguration was “fitting that the centre should be named after that worthy son of the world, Chima Ubani, who waged a relentless war against oppression in all its ramifications. I have no doubt that the centre will live to our earnest expectations of facilitating social change.”
Clarion call
It is the responsibility of Nigerians, especially the government, to honour a man such as Ubani. Nine years since his departure, his legacy lives on only through concerned individuals and human rights activists. He was one citizen who dreamed and fought for peace and justice in Nigeria.
, Chima Ubani, had his life cut short at 42, but not without leaving his footprints in the sands of time, writes MARY OGEDENGBE.){kind=link}