Press Releases

Fashola Unveils Beko’s Statue, Salutes Ransome-Kuti Family
• Says Justice and Truth will remain deserving causes in Lagos

Feb 10, 2010 - Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola (SAN), Wednesday unveiled the statue of late Human Rights Activist, Dr. Beko Ransome-Kuti at Anthony Village, with a pledge that Lagos will continue to honour those who have stood for Justice and Truth.

Governor Fashola, who was accompanied to the occasion by his predecessor, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu and many other Human Rights Activists, also paid glowing tribute to the Ransome-Kuti Family “for giving so much of itself to the people of Nigeria”.

The Governor said the only way to inspire and encourage these crop of people still living, whom he described as “an endangered specie”, and convince them that their cause is not a worthless one, is to begin to give recognition to their colleagues who are no longer living.

“How can we inspire people like Ore Falomo, people like Fredrick Fasheun, people like Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Professor Wole Soyinka and others; how can we begin to explain to them that it is all worth it after all except to begin a process of recognizing those who have fallen”, the Governor said.

Pointing out that the process has started, the Governor declared, “As you can see, we have recognized Sam Okwaraji, we have recognized MKO Abiola, we have recognized Justice Muri Okunola, we have recognized Professor Ayodele Awojobi and today the monument of another great freedom fighter will stand as a sign that Justice and Truth are deserving causes in this Town and in this State of so many possibilities”, adding that many more will follow including that of the Legal luminary and icon of democracy, Chief Gani Fawehinmi.

Governor Fashola said in inspiring and encouraging the freedom fighters that are still alive, Government is also challenging the up coming generation to prepare to take up the gauntlet as the older generations leave the stage due to old age and death.

To the Ransome-Kuti Family, the Governor said Nigerians have a lot to be thankful adding, “That family gave us Beko; that family gave us Fela whose words continue to ring out even from the grave; that family gave us Professor Olukoye Ransome-Kuti who made Medicine so simple. For me, no honour done to this family by Nigeria will be too much”.

“They have given so selflessly of themselves to the nation. For me, this is the Kennedy Family of Nigerian Constitutional History and Democracy. But let us not make one mistake; let us not ape another family in another region. Let us create our own Family, a Dynasty that belongs to this nation - the Ransome-Kuti Dynasty – and let others come and ape that dynasty as how a family can give so much of itself to a people whom it loves”, the Governor said.

He recalled that the late Beko changed the focus of his work immediately after the restoration of civil rule in 1999 from outright opposition to community work by setting up and running the Centre for Constitutional Governance, a grassroots organization dedicated to teaching people what their rights are and how they should go about achieving it.

“Like Martin Luther King, Beko sacrificed personal comfort and business for the fight against minority rule. This led to several spells of imprisonment under different military leaders, including the extraordinary double-life jail term received from a secret military tribunal under a military regime”, the Governor recalled.

He said as the name Bekololari depicts, all that late Dr. Beko Ransome-Kuti spent his life doing was standing as shield and protection for the poor against those in authority, saying to the authorities, “this is not the right way”.

“Even in the shortened form – Beko – he was still saying “This is not the way; that is the way”. All he spent his lifetime doing was telling us, “this is not the way; that is the way”, the Governor said.

In his goodwill message, former Governor of Lagos State, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu said late Dr. Beko was a patriot who died for the ordinary man by risking his life for all Nigerians to ensure that the country remained united adding that in the face of threats from the authorities that be, he remained undaunted.

“Late Beko Ransome-Kuti left his lucrative medical practice to stay on the side of the common man by making the people believe in the Constitution for whatever they intend to do”, Asiwaju Tinubu said adding that Beko also preached the doctrine of a united nation that is consistent with the pursuit of the rule of law and building a nation of which every Nigerian would be proud.

Also speaking, former personal physician to late Chief MKO Abiola, Dr. Ore Falomo, said late Dr. Beko Ransome-Kuti was a man who gave the very best to the medical profession adding that during his lifetime, whenever he spoke, people listened.

Leader of the Odua Peoples’ Congress (OPC), Dr. Fredrick Fasheun, in his goodwill message, described late Beko as a phenomenon who gave his all for the rule of law and the defense of human rights adding that he was an activist who spoke out courageously. Beko, he said, was also the second most jailed person in Nigeria.

Earlier in his welcome address the Commissioner for the Environment, Dr. Muiz Banire, described Beko as an icon of democratic struggle, adding, “A distinguished man of undaunted courage, Beko fought fiercely for a just society in the face of threats from the oppressive leaders who ruled our people according to their unkind whims and caprices”, adding that despite his non-violent posture, he was a frequent guest at various prisons as he routinely became victim of arrests and detentions.

Also present at the occasion were the Deputy Governor of Lagos State, Princess Sarah Adebisi Sosan, the Action Congress Gubernatorial candidate for Ekiti State in the 2007 election, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, among many other Human Rights activists, members of the Ransome-Kuti Family and top government functionaries as well as students from various tertiary institutions in the State.