The wife of a reknown activist lawyer Femi Falana SAN has this to say about her husband in an interview
You are a human rights’ lawyer and pastor. How do you run the two ends?
Yes, by God’s grace, I am a pastor in Foursquare Gospel Church but I retain my activist nature of fighting for the rights of women and children. On the platform of my Non-Governmental Organisation, we make periodic visits to the prisons especially, for those awaiting trial. We file cases for them, file for their bails and try to rehabilitate those that have been destabilised due to detention. We have also been able to reconcile women who suffered domestic violence. At times, they are rehabilitated back to their homes and at other times, children and women are rehabilitated in a Lagos-State owned home in Ipaja, Lagos. We do this in collaboration with the Ministry of Women Affairs. They stay there while they arrange for an alternative accommodation and re-integrate into the society. I did not read law initially, I read Physics. But I noticed in the course of working that I could touch the lives of people around me better with the instrument of the law. So, I decided to go back to the university to read law. I have a Master’s degree in law. I had taught at the University of Lagos briefly.
Had you started raising a family when you returned to read law?
I read law as an older person, but I was determined to do it and I thank God I was able to do it well. I became a lawyer close to 20 years ago. I was already married and was already having my kids.
How did you cope then?
At that time, my husband was in and out of detention. I had to cope with the home front. What I did was to prioritise my schedule. That made me to be able to do a lot of things together and make success out of all. At that time, I didn’t only do the domestic assignments, I worked as an executive in my office and managed my husband’s office as well. And he was always away in detention. The interesting thing is that I had one of the best results when I studied law. It’s a matter of commitment and trust in God.
How did you catch the bug of being a pastor?
I realised that the things around you could get you closer to God. And when you become too close to God, you can get anything done – I can do all things through Christ. Initially, I wasn’t close to God but circumstances around me forced me to acknowledge and get closer to God. And when I did, there is no going back. In fact, there can be no going back because there is nothing as sweet as it. I went through those periods of my life because of the strength I got from God – He is the bedrock of my life.
Did you experience down times those days?
Oh yes. There were days of trauma that one would not want to remember. This was especially when my husband was being arrested and detained. There were times that I would be coming from work, pick my kids from school, drop them at home and jump into the car to start searching for my husband who would have been arrested or kidnapped by security officers. One day around 3am, they came for him, about 10 people. They said that they were from Ibrahim Babangida. They said he would like to see Mr. Femi Falana. He left with them, but they took him to Epe and dumped him in the bush. At the same time, another group took Dr. Beko Ransome-Kuti and dumped in a bush at Ijanikin. We started searching for him and did not find him until later in the day when he walked bare-footed and half-naked home. He said they beat him up and poured some itching powdery substance on him and dumped him. When we cried out through the media, they denied. They said armed robbers might have taken him. They said we cooked the story up. Some weeks after, they came again in good numbers and started banging the gate about the same time. We were living with the masses then in Ketu. Our apartment was the front flat on the ground floor so you could see the gate from our window. They knocked saying they were from the president. I told my husband that he would not go with them. I locked him up in one of the rooms and went to address the men. We started to exchange words across the fence, they threatened to pull down the wall if I didn’t open the gate. I told them they were free to do so. I then began to shout on top of my voice and that eventually woke up our neighbours who came out in large numbers. The people had also been following our ordeal. They had stayed around for like three hours so around 6am, they pulled down the gate and rushed in. Then I started shouting, “Neighbours they are here to take him again, help.” The people came, mobbed them and they ran away. I realised that they were cowards, they ran. That is the beauty and commitment of the masses. They did not disappoint me; they appreciate who is fighting for them. The elites may not appreciate you, if we were living in our present house that time, nobody would have come out. But the masses are their brothers’ keeper. There were also doors shut against me those days because I was a Falana.
How do you mean?
Yes, my landlord those days evicted me from the house. You won’t blame a landlord whose gate was pulled down. We had to leave there. They got me another apartment because my husband was in detention then and I paid. But when I went there to clean the house, the owner said he later realised that I was the wife of the man who always fights against the government. He returned my money. I was angry and threatened to sue, but when my husband heard of it, he pacified me, saying the people lacked good understanding. But the case is different today; we can look back and say after all we haven’t fought in vain.
How did your kids cope then?
My kids were still very young then and the vocabularies they could easily pick up were – detention, arrest, police, SSS. One day, my son said, ‘Mummy, during the social studies class today in school, the teacher said police arrest criminals. Is my father a criminal?’ he wanted to know why police always arrested his dad. I had to sit him down and explained to him that the people arresting his dad were the criminals because they were the enemies of the people who didn’t want the truth.
Your husband once said that he would someday be a reverend…
Yes, I said it some years ago that he is going to be a pastor and many people have been asking me if he has become one. I believe that I will have anything I ask God for. He will still continue to be an activist. Activism is setting the captives free.
Would you have been an activist if you didn’t marry your husband?
Perhaps, I would have been because I come from an activist background as Nee Aguda. I have always been a symphatiser of the down trodden; that was where our paths crossed. That was why we were able to get married.
I’m wondering what the marriage has been like for two activists.
Wow, it is the best you can have. Ours is not only at home but also in the office. Our kids are also activists. It makes us to know and respect each other’s rights. I tell people that lawyers are the best partners you can have. Female lawyers are the best you can have as wives. That is if you also respect the other person’s rights. My husband is my friend at home, my colleague in the office, we are always together. He understands my right and so do I. There are times when we carried our files home to treat. Luckily, two of my kids are lawyers, but when they were growing up, they used to complain about us bringing our files to the house. We were able to extend the chambers into our bedroom. We extend it to our dining room, into our kitchen at times. There are times that I may be in the kitchen and he’ll just come and ask me about a particular case and we will start discussing about it. It is anytime and anywhere.
How would you describe your husband?
Several years ago when we were younger, he used to be very domestic. Those days, my husband was not very romantic, on the contrary, I was. I presented the beautiful cards and other gifts. I wrote the letters, but he was just a casual person. It is now that we are getting older that he is now becoming romantic because I have over the years been able to impart that to him. He also imparted some fiery nature to me, I wasn’t like this before. He may have also passed more activism into me than I had before.
How do both of you relax?
We still take time out to go on holidays. We go for dinner, especially now that our children are not at home. Sometimes, we just decide that we are eating out.
But people only see the fiery aspect of him.
Yes, I discover that people are amazed to hear me say that he is a different person at home from the person you see in the courtroom, on air or at rally. He is a simple man and very domestic and homely. My kids find him milder than me. So sometimes, when they can’t get things done through me, they go through him. I am the one who caned the kids when they were young, I believe that when you spare the rod, you may spoil the child.
Can you recall the first time you appeared with your husband in court?
He took me to the Court of Appeal and we had gone through the file together. I had expected that he would lead me by announcing when it was time that I was appearing with him. But he suddenly said that he needed to go to the toilet. I didn’t know he had a plan, so he left me alone. The case was mentioned while he was away. I kept looking back to see if he was coming. Lo, my senior was nowhere to be found and I started wondering where to start from in front of three justices. I felt like the ground should open and swallow me. So, I announced my appearance and because of my age and experience, I was able to do it well. That was how he launched me into the practice.
Are you satisfied with the Nigeria that we currently have?
No, when we were fighting this war for democracy, we did not fight for corruption. Social economic rights are a far cry – education, food, shelter, free medical services. We have not achieved what we looked forward to.
LOOD Naija