NIGERIA (Abuja)-Ahead of the Centenary Awards for 100 prominent people that have contributed to the development of the nation since its existence 100 years ago, the families of late human rights activist, Chief Gani Fawehinmi and afrobeat king, Fela Anikulapo Kuti have rejected the post humous awards for both late Fawehinmi and Fela even as Nobel Laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka also mulls rejecting the award.

Speaking about the reason why he decided to boycott the award, Professor Wole Soyinka said he would have preferred that the whole day of fame be ignored, but said he would endeavour, to be at the centenary awards planned in London on June 27 during which diasporans will honour 100 outstanding Nigerians in the UK. At a gala dinner due to take place at Waltham Forest Town Hall in East London tagged Nigerian Centenary Awards UK, diasporans will hand out honours to 100 Nigerians who have excelled in various fields in the UK over the last 100 years.

Meanwhile, the family of Fela Anikulapo Kuti said they won’t accept the award in his honour, unless the government can apologise for killing Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti and burning of Kalakuta Republic.

This was disclosed via a tweet by Femi Kuti who is one of the sons of the late Afro beat king.

“We have not heard such but I can speak for myself, Federal Government should first apologise for the killing of our grandmother and the burning of Kalakuta,” he wrote.

Asked if the family would accept the award if the government apologised for the two wrongs mentioned, Femi said he doubts if the family would accept the award.

“Like I said we have not heard anything from the Federal Government. But I doubt if the family will accept the award.”

Fela Anikulapo Kuti, is being honoured in the ‘Internationally Acclaimed Artistes, Literary Icons and Journalists’ category.

Also, the family of late legal Icon, Gani Fawehinmi turned down his nomination for a centenary posthumous award due to the nomination of the former military president, General Ibrahim Babangida for the same award.

They also identified the unbridled killing of students by insurgents in the North Eastern part of the country and the incessant corruption reeking across the country, including the alleged missing of $20 billion from NNPC as reasons for rejecting the nomination.

According to the letter sent to the presidency via the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Chief Anyim Pius Anyim, and signed by Mohammed Fawehinmi, for and on behalf of late Gani Fawehinmi family, the family said they acknowledged the receipt of the letter and commended the federal government for considering their father for the honour but cited the reasons above for turning down the offer.

The letter read in part, “We want to thank the Federal Government for considering our late father for this honour. However, for reasons stated here under, our family has decided it would be inexpedient to accept the award.

“Our late father was empathetic to the sufferings of our people, particularly students. In the last 72 hours, 43 innocent students were mowed down by the blood- thirsty Boko Haram terrorists in Yobe State, while 20 other girls were similarly abducted by this same band of terrorists. These girls are still in captivity while their fate is unknown. If our late father were to be alive, would he be wining and dining with all the glitterati at a Centenary celebration under these circumstances? Certainly no.”

“In the past few weeks, the polity has been assaulted with putrid odour of corruption with the alleged $20 billion missing in NNPC, a development that became the Archilles heel of Mallam Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, the suspended Governor of Central Bank. As an anti-corruption activist, if he were to be alive, our late father would have confronted the issue head-long and possibly gone to court. With the issue still raging, would our late father have accepted this award at this critical moment? Certainly no.”

The family explained that their late father always championed the unity of the country and would have opted for the money being spent on the celebration of the centenary to have been devoted to infrastructure development instead of deploying the fund to celebrating Nigeria’s centenary.

“Our late father was unrepentantly for the unity of Nigeria. However, with the level of profligacy in some of the events celebrating Nigeria’s Centenary, our late father would have preferred these multi-million Naira expenditures channeled to our decrepit Teaching hospitals, than unproductive razzmatazz that do not improve the socio-economic well being of our people.

“For these reasons, our family respectfully declines to receive the award about to be conferred on our late father by the government,” the family said.

The list of the awardees includes Sir Samuel Manuwa, Professor John Edozien, Dr Moses Majekodunmi, Professor Olikoye Ransome-Kuti, Professor Oladipo Akinkugbe, Professor Latunde Odeku, Professor­ Nelson Oyesiku and Dr. Funmi Olopade. Others on the list include Professor Oyin Olurin, Professor Orishejolomi­ Thomas, Professor Bello Osagie, Dr Beko Ransome-Kuti, Professor Ade Elebute, Dr Akinola Maja, Professor Femi Williams, Professor Ambrose Alli, Dr Dalhatu Tafida, Professor Ishaya Audu, Professor Oladele Ajose and Professor Tola Adebonojo among others.­

Other awardees are the British monarch and Head of the Commonwealth, Queen Elizabeth II, Sir Fredrick Lugard, Dame Flora Louise Shaw, Ex-Military Heads of State and Civilian Presidents, Chief M.K.O. Abiola, Literary such as Prof. Wole Soyinka and the late Prof. Chinua Achebe.

Also to be awarded are Chief Gani Fawehinmi, SAN, Chief Odimegwu Ojukwu, Nwankwo Kanu, Alhaji Aliko Mohammed Dangote, Chief Mike Adenuga, Honourable Justice Maryam Aloma Mukhtar, GCON, Sir Abubakar Sadiq III, Pastor Enoch Adejare Adeboye, amongst others.

The award ceremony is scheduled to hold at the Banquet Hall, State House, Abuja.

At the ceremony, President Jonathan would be presenting awards in 13 categories to 100 distinguished personalities, either alive or dead, who eminently symbolise the tapestry of Nigeria’s first centenary.