By Ademola Adekusibe
4th December 2025
Activists, civil society leaders and human rights advocates on Thursday converged on the International Press Centre (IPC) in Lagos to honour the legacy of the late legal icon and human rights defender, Chief Gani Fawehinmi, while renewing calls for justice and accountability across Nigeria.
The gathering, organised by the Gani Fawehinmi Memorial Organization (GAFAMORG), also witnessed the unveiling of the Civil Justice Legacy Project (CJLP), a national initiative aimed at combatting impunity, strengthening civic oversight and restoring public trust in Nigeria’s justice institutions.
Fawehinmi, who died in September 2009 after battling cancer, remains one of Nigeria’s most influential voices for human rights, rule of law and democratic accountability.
Speaking during the briefing, Comrade Agunbiade Babatunde, Chairman of the GAFAMORG Governing Council, said Nigeria is currently dealing with a “grave crisis of unchecked violence,” noting that daily killings, extrajudicial executions and systemic failures have devastated communities and eroded confidence in state institutions.
“Nigeria is grieving too many preventable deaths,” he said. “Impunity for mass killings, extrajudicial executions, mob violence and institutional failure has eroded public trust and devastated communities.”
According to organisers, the CJLP is a rights-based intervention designed to record memory, pursue legal accountability and build citizen-led systems capable of monitoring state performance. The initiative has five core components: the Civil Justice Tracker, Citizen Auditor Network, Gani Fawehinmi Youth Civil Fellowship, ACJA/ACJL Simplification Programme and an annual Research and Policy Report series.
The project will pilot in Lagos and Kaduna—two states described as providing “complementary contexts” necessary to model national replication.
GAFAMORG also announced that the flagship memorial lecture and formal launch of the CJLP will take place on December 18, 2025, at the Nurudeen Alao Auditorium, University of Lagos. Journalists, scholars, civil society groups, faith leaders and international partners are being invited to attend what the organisers describe as a “national turning point in the struggle for justice.”
As part of efforts to institutionalise remembrance, GAFAMORG declared September 5 as the National Civil Day of Remembrance for Victims of Mass Killings, Extrajudicial Killings, Mob Actions and Impunity. The organisation called on governments at all levels, civic groups, faith bodies, the private sector and all Nigerians to formally adopt and observe the annual memorial.
“We call on Nigerians and friends of democracy worldwide to stand with us as we transform Chief Gani Fawehinmi’s legacy into living civic institutions for justice and remembrance,” Babatunde added.
The 16th edition of the Chief Gani Fawehinmi Memorial Lecture will hold alongside the launch, bringing together jurists, human rights activists, scholars and civic leaders to examine the state of justice in Nigeria and outline strategies for strengthening accountability.
