Kaduna State Governor Uba Sani has described the late human rights lawyer and pro-democracy activist, Chief Gani Fawehinmi, as one of the key figures whose legal battles helped widen Nigeria’s democratic space.
Sani spoke on Saturday in Kaduna at the public presentation of Gani Fawehinmi and Uba Sani: A Tale of Mentor and Mentee, authored by Mrs Basirat Fawehinmi Biobaku.
The governor recalled Fawehinmi’s legal challenge to conditions imposed by the Independent National Electoral Commission on associations seeking registration as political parties, saying the activist refused to allow growing frustration among pro-democracy campaigners to weaken their struggle.
According to Sani, Fawehinmi consistently encouraged activists to rely on the judiciary, rule of law and democratic institutions in the fight to strengthen democracy.
He said Fawehinmi and former Kaduna State governor, Balarabe Musa, eventually took INEC to court, beginning a legal battle that lasted more than two years.
Sani said the Court of Appeal ruled in their favour in 2002, while the Supreme Court upheld the decision in January 2003 after INEC appealed.
He described the judgments as a major turning point that helped open the political space and allowed more political parties to emerge.
“Democracy has a history, and every freedom has a cost,” the governor said, urging Nigerians to remember the individuals whose sacrifices helped secure the political freedoms enjoyed today.
Sani said Fawehinmi’s contributions extended beyond political activism, describing him as a pan-Nigerian who championed equal opportunities for citizens regardless of region, ethnicity, religion or social status.
He particularly highlighted Fawehinmi’s commitment to education, recalling his role in the Gani Fawehinmi Scholarship Foundation.
The governor said he was entrusted with coordinating the foundation’s scholarship programme in Northern Nigeria and persuaded Fawehinmi to establish a major intervention for brilliant but indigent university students in the region.
According to him, more than 1,000 students benefited from the scholarship scheme, with Sani recalling how he travelled to universities across Northern Nigeria with others to identify deserving beneficiaries.
He said many of those beneficiaries had gone on to become doctors, lawyers, academics, engineers and professionals contributing to the country’s development.
Sani also recalled Fawehinmi’s warning 26 years ago, during the launch of the scholarship programme at Arewa House, that Northern leaders needed to confront the region’s educational backwardness before it became a major threat.
The governor said the warning remained relevant, arguing that several challenges facing Northern Nigeria could be traced, directly or indirectly, to inadequate investment in human capital.
He described Fawehinmi as a principled Nigerian who prioritised justice over personal comfort and used his legal expertise to challenge arbitrary power and defend ordinary citizens.
“He used the law as an instrument of liberation and defended ordinary citizens against arbitrary power,” Sani said.
The governor commended Biobaku for documenting her relationship with Fawehinmi, saying the book carried lessons beyond the story of a mentor and mentee.
He said the publication offered insights into courage, social justice, education, democratic struggle and leadership, while underscoring the obligation of one generation to prepare the next for public service.
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