Falana a prominent Senior Advocate of Nigeria(SAN) and activist was born on 20 May 1958 in Ilawe, Ekiti State. He was first educated at St. Michael's School from 1963 to 1968. After finishing this school, Femi Falana attended Sacred Heart Catholic Seminary from 1971 – 1975. He graduated from the then University of Ife, now Obafemi Awolowo University Ile Ife Osun State.
He began his legal practice in 1982. After finishing his law practice in 2012, Femi Falana became a Senior Advocate in Nigeria
He is a Principal Partner at Falana and Falana Chambers which he runs with his wife, Funmi Falana, who also is a senior advocate of Nigeria. He contested and lost the governorship election of Ekiti State in 2007 on the platform of the National Conscience Party, a party he served as National Chairman in 2011.
Femi is married to Funmi nee Aguda, who later became a lawyer and a pastor at Foursquare Gospel Church. Like him, Funmi is an activist and she fights for the rights of women and children on the platform of her Non-Governmental Organization. His son, Folarin, called Falz, is a popular rapper who often blends entertainment with activism.
He belongs to many professional bodies: West African Bar Association, Member, Nigerian Bar Association and Member, Fellow of the Nigerian Institute of Chartered Arbitrators (NICArb), West African Bar Association, Member, Pan African Lawyers Union and Member, International Bar Association.
Between 1990 and 1995, Falana was the legal adviser of Campaign for Democracy; Secretary-General of, African Bar Association, 2000 to 2004; President, Committee for the Defence of Human Rights, CHDR, 1997 to 2000. He is also the Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of the Weekly Report of Nigeria and a member of the Council of Legal Education. He was an active member of the pro-democracy movement as embodied by the National Democratic Coalition, NADECO. For his activities, Falana faced a lot of harassment
Falana was arrested by the Nigerian State Security Service on 23 May 1995 and detained for 24 hours over his defense of Ken Saro-Wiwa, leader of the Movement for the Survival of Ogoni People, MOSOP who was later killed by the General Abacha junta. He was also held at Hadeja prison in Jigawa State for eight months on the charge that he was a threat to national security.
Lk... Making a statement!
Share your comments!