Ilawe, Ekiti
FALANA,
Femi
LL.B., BL;
Folarin Falana
former mem. National Executive Committee, Nigerian Bar Association; former General Council, Nigerian Bar Association; former presd. National Association of Democratic Lawyers; presd. Committee for the Defence of Human Rights;
Nigerian Bar Association; honourable American Bar Association, National As sociation of Democratic Lawyers; fd. International Human Rights Award, awards. Defenders award of the International League for hu man rights, 2001 NY; mm. Co-opted member of the National Execu tive Committee of the Nigerian Bar Association for the year 2001-02; sec. gen., African Bar Association; elected presd. West African Bar Association, 2004
Governorship aspirant Ekiti State Elections, 2003, on the Platform of Alliance for Democracy
Fundamental Human Rights and Decree No. 2. 1990; Occupational Health and Hazards in Nigeria, 1997; Freedom of Expression in Nigeria, 1988, and several articles on human rights;
reading, traveling, swimming, table tennis, lawn tennis,
Even as a student leader at the then University of Ile Ife, now Obafemi Awolowo University,
OAU, he stood his ground against oppression from the successive military governments. He
started his legal practice in 1982. Barely a year with that even as a youth corps member, he
handled the case of 7 University of Ibadan students who were arrested for protesting for their
rights.
He succeeded in securing their freedom and he became a human rights activist as early as
1983 when he took bail for the students who had been unlawfully remanded in prison custody.
Falana revealed that this incident led to his not being issued a discharge certificate by the
National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) after his one year mandatory national service. In July
2001, Falana petitioned the Justice Oputa led Human Rights Panel set up by the then
Obasanjo administration over his withheld certificate but the NYSC denied that the certificate
had been intentionally withheld and instead averred that it was Falana who had not requested
for it.
The certificate was subsequently released to him on live television at the commission’s sitting
in 2001. The certificate was released 18 years after the completion of his service. Even as an
activist, Falana is also provides free legal services to the poor and disadvantaged. He has
been detained numerous times by the security services for his activism and he has won
numerous awards locally and internationally for his activism. He contested and lost the
governorship election of Ekiti State in 2007 on the ticket of the National Conscience Party; as
of 2011 he was the National Chairman of the party.”
“Please send your updated CV to: [email protected]” – Editor
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