Falana: Villain or buckler of the masses?

October 04, 2024
The Irohinoodua Editorial

To some Nigerians, Mr Femi Falana, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, (SAN), former Secretary General of the University of Ife, (now Obafemi Awolowo University) is on trial in the court of public opinion. His name has been linked with a cultural misfit whose moral conducts can spur nausea in the heart of the righteous and whose ways of life threaten culture and history sustained for over 1000 years.

The dreg calls himself a woman. He puts on a woman’s dress. He gesticulates like a woman. He has no known job but often found of spending fortunes in Owambe parties. Nevertheless, he has admirers, afterall, the Yoruba would say: Were dun wo, sugbon ko see bi lo’mo- Watching the dramatic display of a mentally unstable person could be fun, but no one wishes to have such a person as a child. Reports claim Falana’s son, Falz spoke with the dreg and that a cash-for-pardon deal amounting to N10m was struck.

In the first place, no society rejuvenates herself without moral rebirth and to that extent, no one is above the society s(he) lives. However, for Falana who has spent more than half of his life time defending the masses, in the process hunting their oppressors, it was a huge opportunity for the oppressors, to drag his name into the mud, albeit, through proxies.

Common logic, without resort to law, suggests that phone conversations should not be automatically accepted apriori as truth. In the age of Artificial Intelligence, phone chats are not free from doctoring.

Secondly, the chat did not in any way indicate that Falana took money from the dreg, assuming there was conversation in that regard either, directly or indirectly, which in either way, appears to be red herring.

Thirdly, there is nothing to suggest that Falana actually had phone conversation directly with the dreg. The fourth logic is that, making the video public is curious and raises questions about the motive, at a time Falana is known to have provided sanctuary for agitators against the authorities. It is customary that security operatives, in collaboration with politically and economically exposed persons, work to dent the image of anyone that stands for the oppressed.

The Falana known to history, is one of the few living legends that has made unparalleled contributions to the campaign for justice and human rights in Africa and around the world.

As former President, West African Bar Association, (WABA) he led the struggle for justice and judicial reforms across West Africa. In most parts of the world, he is well known as fearless and respected for his vast knowledge and personal sacrifices in the usually fierce battles against injustice.

Apart from instituting human right cases against governments and oppressive haves, he has become an inspiration to the human rights struggle in Nigeria and across Africa. He has helped in many ways to loosen the fetters of iron that hold many of the poor masses down through advocacy, campaign, litigation and outright confrontation of evil on our streets.

For instance, the recent judgment of the High Court that restricts Vehicle Inspection Officers, (VIOs) from harassing, intimidating and impounding vehicles of Nigerians can be defined as another truly revolutionary intervention from Falana at his own personal cost, yet, on behalf of the long suffering masses. His fight is the real measure of democratic transformation of any country.

Falana has proved clearly that the single act of an individual could have tremendous impact on every family in Nigeria.

No doubt, there is nothing wrong in having VIOs. To avoid accidents, they are relevant to the extent that by inspecting vehicles, they ought to sustain a regime of safety and orderliness in road transportation

The problem is not the concept. The problem is in praxis. The driving philosophy behind VIO is not to safe vehicles, but to protect humanity from the damage that lack of adequate maintenance could occasion. But what we have seen over the years is a VIO that unleashes havoc and human misery on Nigerians.

The drive is primitive accumulation of wealth. Human lives are secondary. VIO has actually taken over the role of the police and the Judiciary all by itself. Falana has used law as a key instrument for democratic transformation. Another example: He challenged oil companies who owe Nigeria some $50b unpaid tax. He won the case for Nigeria. In seeking true growth, anti-people laws must be drowned in the ocean of litigation.

Laws are meaningful only when the end product is peace and order. Laws must be humane and enforceable to the extent that they reform and enhance the moral strength of the society.

When Laws are made to promote profit, degrade humanity in cases that require reformation and rehabilitation, such laws lose essence.

For instance, many have been victims of VIO terror. A school teacher narrated, many years ago, how he was on his way to the Ogun State Teaching Hospital where his wife was in labour and he had summoned every energy to rush back and forth from Lagos in desperation to see his wife and child alive.

His car was filled with food and medicine for his wife. He left home at sunrise but ran to the VIO. They launched a vicious surveillance on his vehicle, obvious they would not be contended until they found a fault. The papers were in order. The problem was with one of the tyres. They impounded his car. He scanned the VIO official vehicle brought for the raid. The side mirrors were missing. The tyres were worn out. The vehicle was like war relic, the case of an uneducated person urging to give lessons on education. He was delayed until the second day. All the cooked food he bought for his wife were rotten. He could not make Sagamu that day until the second day. He was let go after he had paid money that had no receipts.

There are many more cases of traumatised victims. A fellow was taking his family to Enugu from Lagos when the VIO stopped him. He was delayed for two days as he battled to retrieve his car. The family was meant to attend a wedding on Saturday. They missed the wedding. The only vehicle had been impounded. Why car users have no genuine excuse not to maintain their cars, for their own safety, the fact is that the VIOs are not interested in their safety but rather in extortion.

There are so many ways the VIO could enforce discipline by avoiding dehumanisation and disruption that traumatise road users.The judgment obtained by Falana who is neither a state Governor,a Senator nor a lawmaker is a landmark. It has taken away despair and replace with hope.

The Judgnent brings again into sharp focus the contributions of Falana to human rights development in Nigeria dating back to the 1980s as the Secretary of the Obafemi Awolowo University, (OAU) Students Union. This space is too small to write about his immeasurable goals. At the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, he saved some nine students from total expulsion in 1987 including the now late fiery Chima Ubani and Emma Ezeazu, former NANs President. Few years ago, he saved scores of soldiers from the hangman when he challenged the death sentence imposed on them.

Armed and defenceless people see his Chambers as the altar where justice is accessible more than all the state institutions put together and at no cost. We cannot name the thousands of poor people he saved from death or homelessness through his swift legal interventions. Why there is no one above the law neither is anyone above criticisms, such public sanctioning should be based on facts and figures and not on tissues of lies or unverified claims.

Nothing should be done to harm a man whose wings provide historic succour for the despised, the wounded and the anguished. Nigerians should stand up to defend their true heroes, who, when allowed to be fallen by the arrows of the oppressors, will leave the traumatised masses vulnerable and undefended.