By Rose Onda
President Muhammadu Buhari has commiserated with the family of the late lawyer, Gani Fawehinmi, over the death of their son, Mohammed.
Mr Buhari, in a statement by his special adviser on media and publicity, Femi Adesina, urged the family to find comfort in God, who gives and takes and to draw consolation in the fact that the departed robustly fought a debilitating condition, which confined him to the wheelchair for many years.
Mohammed, 52, who is also a lawyer and human rights advocate, died on Wednesday.
“His body may have been broken, but his spirit was virile, agile, and he kept the flag of the family flying, doing justice to the memory of his late father,” the statement quoted the president as saying.
“While praying for the repose of the soul of the departed, President Buhari urges strength for all those who mourn Mohammed Fawehinmi.”
Similarly, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State commiserated with family and friends of the deceased, describing his death as a colossal loss to the civil society movement in Nigeria.
Governor Sanwo-Olu, in a statement signed by his Chief Press Secretary, Gboyega Akosile, on Wednesday, said like his father, the late Mohammed stayed the course with his persistent fight for the rights of the Nigerian people.
Mr Sanwo-Olu added that the late Mohammed did not live under the shadows of his father as he had grown to become a dependable comrade.
Mr Sanwo-Olu also commiserated with Ondo State Governor, Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, and the entire people of Ondo State on the demise of their illustrious son.
“It is with a deep sense of sorrow that I commiserate with the family, friends, and associates of the Late Mohammed Fawehinmi. He was undoubtedly a great Nigerian, passionate human rights activist, and champion of a true Nigeria.
“As a civil rights activist, he spent his life in the service of humanity and particularly for the emancipation of the Nigerian people. Mohammed Fawehinmi was as consistent as his father, the late Chief Gani Fawehinmi. He kept the flame of his father burning by fighting for the masses even on his wheelchair.
“On behalf of my family and the people of Lagos State, I express my heartfelt condolences to his family, friends, associates, and members of the Civil Society Organisations in Nigeria. I pray that God will grant Mohammed Fawehinmi eternal rest and give the immediate family and friends the fortitude to bear the irreparable loss,” the governor said.
