Maku,Oshiomhole,Textile Workers Union Mourn Aturu

Information Minister Mr. Labaran Maku has described the late human rights lawyer and political activist Mr. Bamidele Aturu as a social crusader who dedicated his life to the struggle to enforce the fundamental human rights of the common man. While commiserating with the wife of the deceased, Mrs. Adebimpe Aturu in Lagos, Mr. Maku said he received the news of his death with shock and disbelief.
He said the death of Bamidele Aturu had affected a lot of people who relied on his free legal services and philanthropic gesture.
“We are pained not because he is dead; we are pained because so many people are affected by his death. Workers that he has used his legal career to defend, the poor people who have no access to justice, whom he has used his chambers to give a voice in the country, and the civil society, which he has devoted most of his life to strengthen that our country might witness freedom and democracy”, he stated.
The Minister, who attributed the return of democracy in the country to the dogged struggle and sacrifices of activists like Mr. Aturu, said the deceased was a social critic based on his conviction to constantly remind those in government about their responsibilities to the citizens.
“We always are reminded whenever Aturu speaks that there are people out there that will tell us the truth in a way that is undisguised whether we like that truth or not, whether we share his passion or not, whether we share his principle or not, whether we share his judgement or not but there is no doubt in our mind that he is doing it out of patriotism. He is not doing it for pecuniary objective,” Mr. Maku remarked.
He stated that Mr. Aturu would be remembered for committing his life to the struggle for democracy and a society that was decent and responsive to the needs and aspirations of its citizens.
The Minister therefore described his death as a huge and tragic loss to the nation and urged his wife to take solace in the fact that her husband lived a principled life that impacted on his generation.
Mr. Maku noted that the death of Bamidele Aturu in his prime was painful though he lived a life of patriotism and service to humanity, which was worthy of emulation.
“Aturu disagrees from the standpoint of patriotism, of commitment, of principle and personal identification with the struggle for a better Nigeria. He was different from all the others, he was not just an opposition voice, he was a voice of conscience such as Gani was,” he said.
Mr. Maku prayed God for the repose of the soul of the deceased and to grant his family the fortitude to bear the irreparable loss.
Governor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State has described the late human rights lawyer, Mr Bamidele Aturu, as one of the most dependable allies of the masses.
In a condolence message, the Governor said “I received with shock the sudden death of Mr. Bamidele Aturu at his prime. Mr. Aturu was undoubtedly a consummate barrister-at-law, and without question one of the most dependable social activists of his generation.
“I had a close relationship with Mr. Aturu right from my days in the labour movement and later when he served as a key member of my legal team during my struggle to reclaim my mandate as Governor of Edo State in 2007.
“A man with a good heart, always impatient with the dehumanizing status quo, his was a constant striving for the attainment of a just and humane social order for Nigeria.
“Mr. Aturu was both a rebel and a revolutionary combined. Right from his student days till his passing, he had been at the forefront of the popular struggles for social justice and total democratization of the polity in Nigeria.
“Mr. Aturu was a strong advocate and ally of the Nigerian labour movement, as legal activist and intellectual. He was equally a dogged and selfless defender of the oppressed, in the true tradition of the late Alao Aka-Bashorun and Chief Gani Fawehinmi and other freedom fighters. He deployed his legal training not for selfish enrichment, but for curtailing the excesses of power, fighting injustice, and expanding the democratic space.
He will surely be missed not only by the Nigerian legal community to whom he contributed immensely, notably by his jurisprudential interventions, but by all those committed to social justice and the liberation of our great country from political oppression, economic underdevelopment and cultural degradation.
“Mr. Aturu paid his dues, fought the good fight, and left an indelible legacy that will stand the test of time.”
In a letter to the family, by Oladele Hunsu and Issa Aremu, president and general secretary of NUTGTWN respectively on behalf of Textile Workers of Union expressed their condolence over Aturu’s death.
The letter said “With heavy heart and profound sense of loss we hereby commiserate with you and your entire family on the death of your dear husband, constitutional lawyer and human rights activist Comrade Barrister Bamidele Aturu on Wednesday July 9, 2014 in Lagos after a brief illness.
“We wish to place on record the commendable effort of late Barrister Aturu during the battle against Nigeria’s Military dictatorship and his contribution to the promotion and sustenance of Nigeria’s democracy and defence of human rights. As one of the founding members of Democratic Alternative, he was committed to pursuing deep-rooted democratic principles and holding those in power accountable to the governed.
“He came to prominence as a fighter against power abuses when, as a member of the National Youth Service Corps, he refused to shake the hand of a military administrator of Niger State, Col. Lawan Gwadabe in 1988 during his NYSC passing out parade declaring that the military had caused great harm to the democratic aspirations of Nigerians.
The textile workers’ union recalled that “As a legal luminary who graduated from the prestigious University of Ife, late Comrade Bamidele Aturu devoted much of his legal practice to representing marginalized or oppressed individuals and groups. He was indeed a ‘Senior Advocate of the Masses’.
“As our union’s lawyer for many years, he was instrumental to the remarkable progress we made in the defence of workers’ rights. His effort led to the progress
“we have made in the payment of outstanding benefits of our members in closed textile factories in Kaduna notably, Finetex and Nortex Limited. We will forever remember him for his passion for workers’ rights and trade union development.
“You are definitely the most bereaved, but all of us are losers with the death of your dear husband and friend of the Union.
“On behalf of the National Executive Council (NEC) of the union and the generality of our members, we sympathize with you and your family in particular, the Nigerian Bar Association, the organized labour and civil society organizations and the entire nation on this irreparable loss.
“May the Almighty God grant his departed soul eternal rest and give us the fortitude to bear this great loss.