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Former President Olusegun Obasanjo
The family of the late Dr Tunji Braithwaite has strongly condemned former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s recent comments about their father, calling them an offensive and failed attempt to tarnish his towering legacy.
At the book launch of former military ruler General Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida on February 20, 2025, Obasanjo referred to Braithwaite as “such a character” while advising IBB to ignore criticism of his book.
He also accused Braithwaite of harbouring “bad belle,” a Nigerian slang term for resentment due to past disagreements.
Speaking at a press conference held at the family’s residence in Victoria Island, Lagos State, on Monday, Olumide Braithwaite, the late statesman’s son, delivered a scathing rejoinder on behalf of the family.
He accused Obasanjo of attempting to tarnish his father’s legacy, hailing him as a “nationalist, patriot, and fearless critic of military juntas.”
“It is not, and never will be, in Obasanjo’s place to use Tunji Braithwaite’s name as a punching bag,” Olumide declared. “While he was alive, it never happened. The name Tunji Braithwaite still has its bite. Whoever dares to tarnish his name will have his children and mass followers to contend with.”
The Braithwaite family accused Obasanjo of displaying “presidential petulance” and attempting to rewrite history by downplaying the late lawyer’s contributions to Nigeria’s democracy and human rights struggles.
They emphasised that Tunji Braithwaite was not merely a critic of Obasanjo but a fierce opponent of all military regimes, including those of Obasanjo, IBB, and the late General Sani Abacha.
“Tunji Braithwaite fought against the draconian decrees of successive military juntas of Obasanjo, IBB, and Abacha,” Olumide stated. “He was on record as a civilian from 1977 to 1998, fighting their inhumane treatment of the masses of this country.”
The family also recounted specific instances of Braithwaite’s defiance against military oppression, including his legal defence of the late Afrobeat legend Fela Anikulapo-Kuti, whose mother, Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti, was tragically killed during a military raid ordered by Obasanjo’s regime.
“History will recount how Fela’s house was burnt to the ground and his mother was thrown from a one-storey building by soldiers acting on the orders of Obasanjo’s regime of terror,” Olumide said. “The Fela case became a benchmark for fundamental human rights law in Nigeria, even though justice was denied.”
The Braithwaite family further highlighted Tunji Braithwaite’s political activism, including the formation of the Nigeria Advance Party in 1978, which was initially denied registration by the Obasanjo-led military government. They also recalled how IBB’s regime targeted Braithwaite’s businesses and detained him on allegations of coup plotting in 1990.
“This house witnessed two truckloads of heavily armed soldiers storming the premises in the middle of the night to whisk Tunji Braithwaite away to an unknown location,” Olumide recounted. “It was former Attorney General Olu Onagoruwa who fought for his release in court.”
The family expressed disappointment that Obasanjo, a fellow Yoruba man, failed to pay his respects when Tunji Braithwaite passed away in 2016, unlike other prominent figures such as President Bola Tinubu and former Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, who visited the family to honour the late statesman.
Braithwaite urged Obasanjo to be more mindful of his words and to acknowledge the contributions of individuals like his father, whom he described as “an exemplary nationalist.”
“Legacy is not what’s left tomorrow when you are gone. It’s what you give, create, and contribute today while you are here,” Olumide said, quoting American author Seth Godin. “Dr Tunji Braithwaite’s legacy is already cemented without the need for man-made titles or self-aggrandisement.”
