Fiery Lagos lawyer and human rights activist, Chief Gani Fawehinmi, SAN, can never, never be happy about this. His chambers, situated at 35, Ajao Road, Anthony Village, Lagos is gradually being taken over by weeds. The chambers which many ran to in their times of trouble and while the legal icon lived was deserted and a shadow of its old self when we visited the neighbourhood recently.
With no soul sighted inside the compound, the walls shedding their paints and some part of the building already falling apart, there’s no way Gani won’t be feeling bad about what has become of his highly treasured chambers which at some point was the numero uno in the country. The right gate was still manageable compared to left one which was mercilessly run over by weeds when we called. At the entrance was a sign post with the words: sorry we are closed. But a peep inside revealed rusting air-conditioners, about three abandoned motorcycles and other office things.
To find out why this should be so, we called one of Gani’s sons and here’s what he told us: “ The chambers, it would be recalled, was founded on… And in Gani’s lifetime, it handled some of the biggest briefs you can think of. Upon his demise however on…, the legal giant started in his Will that the chambers be wound down after two years and thereafter be converted …, an instruction that the family is yet to carry out. Gani died of cancer and at the time of his death, he left behind two wives ( ) and 15 children from three women.