If the title triggered Mr & Mrs Smith, the 2005 action-comedy starring Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie as married assassins who are contracted to kill one another, that’s not where I’m going.
Last week Friday was June 12, Nigeria’s Democracy Day. It started as a public holiday in Lagos in 2000, under then-Governor Bola Tinubu, to honour MKO Abiola, the winner of the June 12, 1993 presidential election. States in the south-west soon followed. The 1993 elections were annulled by Ibrahim Babangida (alive), who stepped down in August and handed power to Ernest Shonekan’s (dead) Interim National Government (ING). Sani Abacha overthrew the ING in November. On June 11, 1994, almost a year to the anniversary of the election, Abiola declared himself president. He was arrested on June 23rd by Abacha and charged with treason. Abacha died on June 8, 1998, and Abiola followed on July 7th of the same year. The 1993 election and the 1998 deaths led to the 1999 elections, which brought Olusegun Obasanjo (alive) to power. He was sworn in on May 29th, which served as the national “Democracy Day” to honour Nigeria’s return to democratic rule.
Unfortunately, President Obasanjo failed to honour MKO Abiola during his eight years in office. Listening to counsel from different people, including Pastor Tunde Bakare (who is from Ogun like Abiola, Shonekan & Obasanjo), President Buhari posthumously awarded MKO Abiola the Grand Commander of the Federal Republic (GCFR) on June 6, 2018. He was also to be given all the benefits of a former head of state, in effect acknowledging that Abiola had won the 1993 elections. In addition, June 12 became the official national “Democracy Day”.
Between 1993 when the election was annulled, 1998 when MKO Abiola was killed and 1999 when President Obasanjo was sworn in, the current president, Bola Tinubu (Osun/Lagos), was a funder and active member of the most prominent pro-democracy organisation – National Democratic Coalition (NADECO). NADECO was a coalition of Nigerian activists, former politicians (most from the southwest), and professionals fighting for the validation of the June 12 election and an end to military dictatorship.
During that period, Femi Falana was a known human rights activist and lawyer who worked closely with the leading figures in NADECO, but was not formally a part of the Coalition. He was more affiliated with the Campaign for Democracy (CD) and the Committee for the Defence of Human Rights (CDHR). NADECO was for a season, but Femi Falana’s work fighting for good governance, regardless of who is in power, has transcended the military.
In a sense, Femi Falana’s standing as a pro-democracy figure comes less from belonging to a single organisation like NADECO, but more from his consistent activism across multiple fronts: defending detained activists and journalists in court, challenging military decrees through litigation, working with labour movements, enduring repeated arrests and harassment by military governments, and continuing public-interest litigation. Representing Fela Anikulapo-Kuti also brought him popular acclaim. He has represented Omoyele Sowore, and he’s currently representing the Makoko community to challenge the illegal actions of the Lagos State government.
Mrs Funmi Falana is the Executive Director of Women Empowerment & Legal Aid, a non-profit that “provides legal aid, advocacy, and support for underprivileged women and children in Nigeria, while it raises awareness on issues that affect their rights, well-being and socio-economic status.” The duo run Falana & Falana Chambers, and both are Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SAN).
On Friday, June 12th, it was an honour to be led by Mr & Mrs Falana in a protest demanding that the government act on the insecurity in the country. They were joined by their son, Folarin (Falz), a socially conscious artist who uses popular culture to engage civic and social issues. He leverages his legal training to translate civic issues into language that’s accessible to millions of people who don’t follow policy debates and will never read a court judgment. His songs include: This is Nigeria (poor governance & social decay), Johnny (police brutality & extrajudicial violence), Yakubu (electoral integrity), Hypocrite (religious & societal hypocrisy), and two days ago – Ole (insecurity & poor leadership).
We had a peaceful protest from Ikeja Underbridge to where Kudirat Abiola Way meets Ikorodu Road (Ojota Pedestrian Bridge) – about 6.5km. Some of us joked that if the Falanas could do it, none of the younger people dared complain! We were headed to the Gani Fawehinmi Park in Ojota, but those who thought the day called for dancing & celebration were already there. In Abuja, peaceful protesters had to contend with tear gas from the police. On Democracy Day o!!!!
When there is so much going wrong that one can point to in Nigeria and the world, I salute this family of public advocates – Femi through the courts, Funmi through the courts & social justice advocacy and Folarin through culture – who continue to lend their time, talent and treasure to reminding us that Nigeria is worth fighting for!
Aluta continua! Victoria ascerta!
ps As an aside for those who like connecting dots, it was in Ogun on June 2, 2022, that President Tinubu said “Emi lo kan”. Make of that what you will.
• Adamolekun is an active citizen.
