Legends: dropping Gani for Dora
People & Politics Dec 3, 2009 By Ochereome Nnanna

Last Monday, our Corporate Affairs Manager, Mr Victor Omoregie, dropped a couple of invitation cards in front of me. One of them was about a ceremony for the Five Greatest Living Legends award, which is billed to hold on December 6, 2009 at the Eko Hotels and Suites, Victoria Island.

It is supposedly being sponsored by Silverbird media group and Vanguard Media Ltd. I said supposedly because when I raised a couple of issues which I will discuss shortly, the impression I was given was that since the awardees were nominated through public polling earlier this year, nothing else was heard from Silverbird until the sudden issuance of the invitation cards.

Perhaps had the two media groups continued to work together towards the award ceremony, some of the issues I am about to raise would have been taken care of around the conference table. It is not as if Silverbird and Vanguard had any disputes of any type. In fact, they are strategic partners which have combined the huge leveraging powers of their respective media reaches for the benefit of both sides.

I am particularly interested in the Five Greatest Nigerian Living Legends programme, not because Vanguard is involved. From the first day I saw the blurb inviting the voting public to cast their votes for short-listed candidates, I supported the initiative by taking out two pages of this column in the March 30, 2009 edition to name my five candidates.

They were General Yakubu Gowon, Chief Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu, Professor Wole Soyinka, Professor Chinua Achebe and Chief Gani Oyesola Fawehinmi. My reason for embracing the project was to give honour to whom it was due and encourage others to live the life of heroes who will inspire the young and old of this nation to great endeavours.

I wanted the world to know that in spite of our many problems, Nigeria still produces excellent people and Nigerians are not too far gone down the lane of cynicism and self-immolation that they no longer see this glaring fact.

At the end of the polling on Wednesday June 17, 2009, Nigerians chose the following: Pastor Enoch Adeoye, soccer star Nwankwo Kanu, Dim Emeka Odumegwu Ojukwu, Professor Wole Soyinka and Chief Gani Fawehinmi. The people had spoken! Any other opinion is strictly personal.

So, when I glanced at the invitation card and saw the smiling picture of the Minister of Information and Communications, Professor Dora Akunyili, I was stunned. I asked Mr Omoregie what was going on. How and why did someone who was said to have scored the sixth position suddenly enter the hallowed gang of five?

Minister Akunyili not only mysteriously became one of our five living legends, she has evidently overtaken the event as her Ministry’s Nigeria re-branding logo perches majestically at the bottom of the card. Assuming that Dora Akunyili actually won to be among the Big Five, must a logo associated with her current job also get on the IV?

Why were the rest of the recipients also not permitted to bring the logos of their church, soccer club, political party or Nobel laurel for embossment on the card? Is the event being sponsored by the Federal Ministry of Information or its re-branding outfit?

For me the most important issue of concern is that Chief Gani Fawehimni’s name was dropped for Akunyili. Omoregie told me he was informed by the Silverbird people that the award was for living legends, and as Fawehinmi is dead, they had to promote Akunyili to number five. Gani, he was told, will be given a posthumous award.

This did not make much sense to me. It is nothing but a rationalisation of the dropping of Gani and inclusion of Dora. When you have something to explain away any excuse will do.

The winners of the five greatest living legends were announced in June 2009. Chief Fawehinmi died on September 5, 2009. In other words, Gani won this coveted award as a living legend. Even from his sick bed he must have watched it with keen interest and having won it, he must have been thoroughly gratified that Nigerians appreciated him for his contributions to human rights, social justice and democracy in Nigeria spanning over a period of nearly four decades.

Compared to him, Dora and Nwankwo Kanu are upstarts in the service of this nation, but soccer being the second unofficial religion of most Nigerians one can understand their sentiment. Akunyili entered the consciousness of Nigerians when she was appointed as the DG of NAFDAC in 2001 and she performed extremely well in her fight against fake drugs.

She is still in the public service, and if her current general perception is anything to go by it pays to allow public servants to finish with their careers before hanging any garlands around their necks. But if Nigerians had, in spite of that accorded her the award, no one would be here opposing it.

The organisers of this event have committed a grave error of the head by taking what belongs to Gani and giving it to Dora simply because the man died. It is like an athlete winning an Olympic bronze medal and slumping to death at the finish line and the officials giving his medal to the person who came fourth! Besides, a man like Gani never really dies.

Ojukwu will never die, neither will Soyinka. Giving away their life’s achievement to another less-endowed candidate is most nauseating. It is an unholy substitution. The Five Living Legends award has been rigged by the organisers just as our elections are rigged to produce people we never voted for.

It has been politicised. The meritorious blaze of glory that characterised the nominations has been fouled in the run-up to the awards proper.

Don’t annul Gani’s sacred mandate. Put Gani back now!

                  http://www.vanguardngr.com/2009/12/03/legends-dropping-gani-for-dora/

That means the dead was rigged out for the living.,,ouch!

~Bluetooth:

That means the dead was rigged out for the living.,,ouch!

And the rigging continues.

Unfortunately for the organisers the man was alive when the polls was conducted. He was announced a winner while alive. Doesnot it that mean that if other winners should die (God forbid) before the postponed date of receiving the awards, will they be also substituted?

That's why i hate Nigeria institutions organised awards

I wonder why we don't ever get things right in this country.
we are an abused nation and we no longer see right, in fact we see 'wrong things' as right and carry on as if it has to be so .
i cannot understand the rational behind the decision to remove Gani from the award.
this is the exact attitude we are trying to correct in INEC. Silverbird and Vanguard have made it clear with this action that the 'people's vote' is not final, they can keep their award.
We will continue to honour GANI in our hearts as a legend.

we appreciate the impact dora and co have made but such awards are for people who have committed their lives influencing positive change in humanity.

A TRUE LIVING LEGEND IS NELSON MANDELA. MICHAEL JACKSON WAS ACKNOWLEDGED AS A LIVING LEGEND SEVERAL YEARS BEFORE HE DIED

I think the closest we have amongst the list to a living legend is Gani Fawehinmi.

I do not think (with no disrespect intended) that pastor adeboye, ojukwu, soyinka qualifies.
Please if you think pastor adeboye qualifies what impact has he made off the pulpit compared to rev desmond tutu, martin luther king junior, mother theresa etc.
these all went outside of their regular calling to demand and effect positive change in their constituencies regardless of the cost.
Here the country is groaning and oppressed by horrible leaders and all we get from the pulpit is 'PRAY FOR NIGERIA' and the same down-trodden and oppressed people attend church services and holy ghost conventions.
Imagine the impact a pastor adeboye led demand for justice and fairness in the next elections would have. imagine the impact if such a man would publicly give insights and directions on national issues - a man the country listens to.
today there is no clear-cut position of the church community in Nigeria national issues because these 'great' men of God have not lent their voices to issues.
I believe he can do more to impact the lives of people by actively 'campaigning' and demanding for righteousness and fairness in governace.

Dora, Ojukwu, Kanu and Soyinka have no doubt done much to impact lives but have they reached or impacted society (not segments of society) at large over a sustained period of time.

i think these people still have a lot more to offer and there efforts so far are much appreciated

klarry79:

I wonder why we don't ever get things right in this country.
we are an abused nation and we no longer see right, in fact we see 'wrong things' as right and carry on as if it has to be so .
i cannot understand the rational behind the decision to remove Gani from the award.
this is the exact attitude we are trying to correct in INEC. Silverbird and Vanguard have made it clear with this action that the 'people's vote' is not final, they can keep their award.
We will continue to honour GANI in our hearts as a legend.

we appreciate the impact dora and co have made but such awards are for people who have committed their lives influencing positive change in humanity.

A TRUE LIVING LEGEND IS NELSON MANDELA. MICHAEL JACKSON WAS ACKNOWLEDGED AS A LIVING LEGEND SEVERAL YEARS BEFORE HE DIED

I think the closest we have amongst the list to a living legend is Gani Fawehinmi.

I do not think (with no disrespect intended) that pastor adeboye, ojukwu, [b]soyinka [/b]qualifies.
Please if you think pastor adeboye qualifies what impact has he made off the pulpit compared to rev desmond tutu, martin luther king junior, mother theresa etc.
these all went outside of their regular calling to demand and effect positive change in their constituencies regardless of the cost.
Here the country is groaning and oppressed by horrible leaders and all we get from the pulpit is 'PRAY FOR NIGERIA' and the same down-trodden and oppressed people attend church services and holy ghost conventions.
Imagine the impact a pastor adeboye led demand for justice and fairness in the next elections would have. imagine the impact if such a man would publicly give insights and directions on national issues - a man the country listens to.
today there is no clear-cut position of the church community in Nigeria national issues because these 'great' men of God have not lent their voices to issues.
I believe he can do more to impact the lives of people by actively 'campaigning' and demanding for righteousness and fairness in governace.

Dora, Ojukwu, Kanu and Soyinka have no doubt done much to impact lives but have they reached or impacted society (not segments of society) at large over a sustained period of time.

i think these people still have a lot more to offer and there efforts so far are much appreciated

I understand the point you are trying to make but to put Soyinka in the same boat with Dora, Kanu and Adeboye is an injustice. Soyinka has been fighting against injustice since UI. His voice and protests were heard during the civil war.

Soyinka is almost at par with Gani; together with Fela, and Beko, these were the people who defied several military dictators, were locked up in the most inhumane prisons, and have had their lives threatened regularly. Dora, Kanu, and Adeboye are not legends.

What about Chinua Achebe? He alone has done more branding for Nigeria than Dora can even imagine.

Katsumoto:

Dora, Kanu, and Adeboye are not legends.

I think i support you 100% on those bolded names.

chosen04:

I think i support you 100% on those bolded names.

I can understand why you would think Kanu is a legend and I think I can agree with you. Legends do not only have to be political, they can also be into sports and other spheres of life. Despite all our differences, sport has been the one unifying aspect of our lives and Kanu has certainly contributed immensely to Nigerian glory in sports. But if we have to include a sportsman, I am undecided between Kanu and Okocha.