The Centre for Leadership and Justice has marked 11 years of Chief Gani Fawehinmi’s death, saying the renowned lawyer and activist stood out for fighting military rule, tyranny and official corruption.

The centre noted that Fawehinmi, who died on September 5, 2009, wished to see Nigeria “gradually develop into a utopian society, where the masses would not beg to get the basic things of life.”

The Senior Advocate of Nigeria was 71 years old when he died and widely celebrated as a Nigerian social critic, human and civil rights activist, politician, author and philanthropist.

He was arrested and detained by the government at various times during his crusades for the rule of law, his international passport was seized and his law chambers were also invaded by persons suspected to be agents of the government.

Fawehinmi was the lawyer of popular journalist, Dele Giwa, who was killed in a bomb blast under suspicious circumstances in October 1986.

The centre, in a tribute signed by Emmanuel Umohinyang, said Fawehinmi’s struggles landed him in prison.

Umohinyang said, “Though it has been 11 years since you left and dropped the baton of your quintessential performance as a lawyer, the memories of your struggles for an improved society remain unforgettable.

“You were a lawyer who succeeded at a time when it was difficult to practise and stood out among your peers in the fight against official corruption and barefaced tyranny. We cannot forget how your struggle for good governance and the freedom of the longsuffering masses landed you in prison.

“Your wish for Nigeria was for it to gradually develop into a utopian society where the masses will not beg to get the basic things of life. The current administration is determined to lay a solid foundation for your wish to be steadily achieved.”