…Recounts Arrests, Persecution Under Military Juntas

By Olasunkanmi Akoni

The family of the late Dr. Tunji Braithwaite has strongly condemned former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s recent comments about their patriarch, calling them an offensive and failed attempt to tarnish his towering legacy.

The family made this known in a statement delivered by Barrister Olumide Braithwaite on Monday during a media briefing at The Beulah, the family’s residence in Victoria Island, Lagos.

The controversy arose during the book launch of former military ruler General Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida (IBB) on February 20, 2025. Obasanjo, in what appeared to be an offhand remark, referred to Dr. Tunji Braithwaite as “such a character” while advising IBB to ignore criticism of his book.

He also accused Braithwaite of harboring “bad belle”—a Nigerian slang for resentment—due to past disagreements.

Barrister Olumide Braithwaite, the only surviving son of the late legal luminary and human rights activist, rejected Obasanjo’s comments, stating:

“It is not, and never will be, in Obasanjo’s place to use Tunji Braithwaite’s name as a punching bag. While he was alive, it never happened. Even in death, his name still carries its weight.”

He emphasized that Dr. Braithwaite was a fearless nationalist who confronted military juntas, including Obasanjo, IBB, and Abacha, often at great personal risk.

Olumide Braithwaite recounted instances of persecution and hardship his father suffered due to his defiance of military regimes:

Arrest & Detention (1990): After the Gideon Orkar coup attempt, Tunji Braithwaite was arrested and detained by the IBB regime. His home was stormed by two truckloads of soldiers in the middle of the night.

Legal Battles: He was falsely accused of being a coup plotter, but late Chief Gani Fawehinmi and Dr. Olu Onagoruwa fought for his release.

Political Struggles: His political party, the Nigeria Advance Party (NAP), was denied registration in 1979 under Obasanjo’s military regime, despite meeting all constitutional requirements. It was only registered in 1983 but was soon disrupted by another military coup.

Obasanjo’s Legacy Under Scrutiny

The Braithwaite family took strong exception to Obasanjo’s attempt to belittle their father, highlighting the scandals and failures of his presidency.

“There can be no case of ‘bad belle’ from a courageous civilian like Tunji Braithwaite, who stood up to gun-wielding dictators,” Olumide said.

“However, we cannot say the same for Obasanjo, who is still battling allegations of corruption, including the missing billions of dollars allocated to the NEPA project, which left Nigerians in darkness.”

He also referenced the 2013 public letter from Senator Iyabo Obasanjo, who publicly accused her father of numerous failings.

Olumide Braithwaite urged Nigerians to remember his father as a nationalist, brilliant lawyer, and human rights activist who fearlessly opposed military oppression.

He criticized Obasanjo for making careless statements in the presence of military elites, warning that the legacies of Nigeria’s military rulers are tainted by corruption and dictatorship.

Adding her voice, Dr. Grace Braithwaite, the widow of Tunji Braithwaite, described Obasanjo as a failed leader who had done more harm than good to Nigeria.

“My husband was a true nationalist with unblemished integrity,” she said. “No amount of revisionist history can erase his legacy.”