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The Law students of the University of Abuja have conferred the honorary title of “Senior Advocate of the Masses” on human rights lawyer, Mr Femi Falana (SAN), in recognition of his decades-long commitment to justice and public interest litigation.
Muhammed Akingbolu, President of Law Students Association of Nigeria (LAWSAN), Uniabuja chapter, made the remarks during the Faculty’s 2024/2025 Legal Year Opening Ceremony in Abuja on Thursday.
The event was attended by legal practitioners, academics, and students who gathered to celebrate Falana’s enduring legacy in Nigerian jurisprudence and activism.
The LAWSAN President described Falana as a becon of hope, justice and a rare legal mind whose life embodies courage, humility, and mentorship.
Earlier, the Senior Special Assistant to President Bola Tinubu on National Assembly matters (House of Representatives), Hon. Ibrahim Olarewaju, had, in his goodwill message, described Mr. Falana as one of the best things that ever happened to legal profession in Nigeria.
Olarewaju recounted his personal experience working under Falana, recalling how the Senior Advocate’s open-door policy and commitment to nurturing young lawyers left an indelible mark on generations of practitioners.
“Mr Falana will give you every opportunity you desire in life. You call him once, he picks your call. Even as busy as he is, he finds time to mentor and guide.
“He’s one man who grows people to the height they want,” he said.
He also reminisced about Falana’s long-standing relationship with Nigerian students, narrating an incident from 1997 at the University of Ilorin when students defied restrictions to host the fiery lawyer for a lecture.
“We blocked all entrances to the university because we wanted to see him. The government didn’t want Falana to speak, but we insisted. When he finally arrived, the police had no choice but to let him in. “That day, we made history,” he said.
Also, the Dean of the Faculty of Law, University of Abuja, Prof. Uwakwe Abugu, described Falana renowned human rights as a “rallying point of justice in Nigeria” and “an immortal figure in the fight for social equity.”
Abugu praised Falana for his lifelong dedication to defending the rights of the downtrodden and promoting justice beyond the courtroom.
He noted that his interventions had restored hope to countless Nigerians, especially students unjustly treated by authorities.
He lauded the veteran lawyer’s humility and commitment to mentorship.
On his part, Falana, challenged Nigerian students and youths to take responsibility for defending their own future and holding leaders accountable for the country’s growing inequality and governance failures.
He expressed disappointment at what he described as the growing apathy among Nigerian youths toward national issues, contrasting it with the activism and courage that defined students of his generation.
“I hardly want to go to campuses these days to address students, because I have come to the conclusion that Nigerian youths are not prepared to fight for their own future.
“When we were undergraduates, we had dreams and we fought to create a future for ourselves,” he said.
He lamented that corruption and mismanagement had crippled opportunities once available to young Nigerians, recalling how graduates in his time were guaranteed jobs even before completing their studies.
“Before we wrote our final exams, employers came to our campuses to recruit us.
“By the time you finished your youth service, you had four or five job offers with car and housing loans waiting,” he said.
Citing recent revelations by the National Assembly that over N210 trillion could not be accounted for in the books of government agencies, Falana wondered why such news had not provoked outrage among young Nigerians.
“I read a story last week, which in our case, would have forced us to surround the National Assembly.
“Last week, the National Assembly revealed that above N210 trillion cannot be explained.
“That is enough to pay the nation’s humongous debts, create job opportunities for all of us, pay all our loans that have become debt traps, and give us hospitals without having to travel abroad.
“And I’m challenging you, because we are going to take up that matter. But I’m here. So we are going to cross-fertilise ideas,” Falana said.
Falana also used the platform to examine recent national controversies, including the altercation between the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, and a military officer in Abuja.
While condemning the officer’s obstruction of the minister’s statutory duties, he faulted the minister’s use of abusive language, saying public officials must respect citizens’ dignity.
Falana reminded law students of their moral and professional obligation to defend the oppressed and insist on accountability from those in power.
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