At the 14th Annual Chief Gani Fawenhimi Lecture in Ikeja, Lagos early this week, some youths booed Chief Mike Ozekhome, a senior advocate of Nigeria and called him unprintabke names. He was among the discussants.
The youths, according to The Punch, blocked the path of Ozekhome, who arrived the venue of the lecture at the Airport Hotel, Ikeja at about 1.10pm, insisting that the SAN would not be allowed into the lecture hall.
Ozekhome’s arrival, according to the report, was greeted by youths who were calling the SAN unprintable names and abusing him for allegedly defending suspected looters in the law courts. The youths also disrupted the lecture which was already underway.
“Much earlier in his welcome address and while acknowledging the members of the high table at the event, the Chairman of the Nigerian Bar Association, which was the organiser of the lecture, Mr. Adesina Ogunlana, had noted that Ozekhome would soon join the gathering as he had phoned that he was on his way from the Court of Appeal.
“Ogunlana noted that some youths had opposed Ozekhome’s invitation to the Gani Fawehinmi lecture on the claim that the SAN had been fraternising with alleged treasury looters and using his legal prowess to help them to escape justice, contrary to what the late Chief Gani Fawehinmi (SAN) stood for.
“Ogunlana, however, appealed to the youths, saying even Fawehinmi in his lifetime tolerated opposing views.
“But as soon as Ozekhome stepped into the lecture hall hours later, the youths took him on, chanting disapproving songs and insisting that he was not welcome at the event.
“The noise disrupted the event, with the keynote speaker, Prof. Demola Popoola, a former Dean, Faculty of Law, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ife, Osun State, forced to stop his presentation as his voice was almost getting drowned by the rowdiness taking place at the back of the hall.
“It took the intervention of Ogunlana and Mr. Richard Akinola, to shield Ozekhome from the rampaging youths, who massed around him to stop his entrance.
“Mr. Femi Falana (SAN), who was also at the event, had to also leave the high table where he sat among others to placate the youths.
“Ozekhome was eventually rescued from the protesting youths by Ogunlana and other NBA officials who led him to the high table where other discussants such as musician, Seun Kuti, Fawehinmi’s son, Mohammed, and the Publisher of Sahara Reporters, Omoyele Sowore, and others were already seated.”