Frederick Fasehun (1935 –2018)
•A medical doctor and a crusader for Nigeria’s political reform dies
His regrets, expressed by his son, reflected his involvement in Nigeria’s political life. Though a medical doctor, he was better known for his political activities. According to his son, Kayode, “Some of his regrets are: the gap between the rich and the poor was too wide. Also, he would have loved to be president because he contested the presidency and also revived the Unity Party of Nigeria.”
Dr Frederick Fasehun’s death in Lagos on December 1 drew attention to his significant role in the struggle for democracy. He was 83. He founded the OoduaPeoples Congress (OPC), a Yoruba-based group, in response to military dictatorship, following the unjust annulment of the June 12, 1993, presidential election won by Chief MKO Abiola. He was also an important player in the National Democratic Coalition (NADECO), which was in the forefront of opposition to military rule.
Fasehun’s imprisonment for 19 months by the Gen SaniAbacha military administration, from December 1996 to June 1998, showed that he was a thorn in the dictatorship’s side. It is noteworthy that NADECO chairman Admiral NdubuisiKanu (retd.) said in a tribute: “Fred was not an angel in our struggle; but the sacrifice he made for this country, you can’t quantify.”
After his education in Ondo, where he was born, he studied science at Blackburn College, and went on to Aberdeen College of Medicine. He also attended the Liverpool Postgraduate School and had a Fellowship at the Royal College of Surgeons. His enthusiasm for medical knowledge led him to acupuncture, which he studied in China under a joint World Health Organisation and United Nations Development Scholarship Programme. He set up an Acupuncture Unit at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital in 1977.
With his training, he eventually established the Besthope Hospital and Acupuncture Centre in Lagos. His acupuncture centre was reportedly recognised as the first of its kind in Africa. It is testimony to his entrepreneurial spirit that he was also an hotelier and owned a security company. It is striking that another son of Fasehun, Remi, was quoted as saying one of his father’s regrets was that he did not realise an educational project he had envisioned, a university of security and management.
Fasehun’s New Age Security Company was controversially involved in a 2015 oil pipeline security deal under former President Goodluck Jonathan. His association with the Jonathan administration was puzzling. Fasehun’s progressive credentials conflicted with public perception of the government as unprogressive. There was no doubt about what Fasehun stood for until he became a shadow of his former self.
In his years as a progressive political activist, he campaigned for genuine federalism and political restructuring. These subjects are still topical, showing that Fasehun was conscious of the issues that demanded attention. He was patriotically interested in the country’s progress as well as the advancement of his Yoruba ethnic group.
It is ironic that he later had to battle for leadership of OPC, which he founded. He ultimately surrendered power to younger and more militant members. OPC leader and the Aare OnaKakanfo of Yorubaland, Chief Gani Adams, said in a tribute to the “founding father”: “Baba deserves all respect and will also be remembered as a distinguished leader in all ramifications, and one that was greatly admired by the general public and his peers as a straightforward and a complete gentleman.”
Fasehun will be particularly remembered for his courage in the face of tyranny. He was not afraid to speak truth to power when power had a military face and a brutal character. His fight for democracy and good governance are lasting lessons.
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