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"I was informed by his family that he died early this morning," he said.
Fawehinmi, holder of Nigeria's highest legal title, the Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), was an author, publisher, philanthropist, social critic, human and civil rights lawyer and politician.
He had been in and out of hospital both at home and abroad for the treatment of cancer in the past few years.
Nigerian President Umaru Yar’Adua said he received the news of Fawehinmi's death with sadness and a deep feeling of great national loss.
"The president extends his heartfelt condolences to Chief Fawehinmi‘s family. He urges them to be comforted by the knowledge that the late legal luminary lived a fulfilled and remarkable life dedicated to the unrelenting pursuit of good governance, equity and justice for all Nigerians," his spokesman said.
"President Yar’Adua joins other Nigerians in praying that Almighty Allah will reward Chief Fawehinmi‘s earthly labours with eternal rest in paradise," Olusegun Adeniyi added.
The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) said in a statement it would follow Fawehinmi's legacy.
"MEND commiserates with the family of Gani Fawehinmi, a human rights advocate and defender of the oppressed who passed on today," it said.
"Nigeria has lost a kind man who put others before himself. His legacy of fighting for the downtrodden against larger opponents like the government in no small measure inspired us to fight oppressive giants today," the group said.
MEND, which claims to be fighting for a greater share of Nigeria's oil wealth for the impoverished people of the Niger Delta, has in the past three and a half years waged armed attacks against the country's lucrative oil industry.
The violence has substantially slashed Nigeria's oil production with daily output standing at 1.7 million barrels from 2.6 million in the beginning of 2006.
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Fawehinmi, holder of Nigeria's highest legal title, the Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), was an author, publisher, philanthropist, social critic, human and civil rights lawyer and politician.
He had been in and out of hospital both at home and abroad for the treatment of cancer in the past few years.
Nigerian President Umaru Yar’Adua said he received the news of Fawehinmi's death with sadness and a deep feeling of great national loss.
"The president extends his heartfelt condolences to Chief Fawehinmi‘s family. He urges them to be comforted by the knowledge that the late legal luminary lived a fulfilled and remarkable life dedicated to the unrelenting pursuit of good governance, equity and justice for all Nigerians," his spokesman said.
"President Yar’Adua joins other Nigerians in praying that Almighty Allah will reward Chief Fawehinmi‘s earthly labours with eternal rest in paradise," Olusegun Adeniyi added.
The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) said in a statement it would follow Fawehinmi's legacy.
"MEND commiserates with the family of Gani Fawehinmi, a human rights advocate and defender of the oppressed who passed on today," it said.
"Nigeria has lost a kind man who put others before himself. His legacy of fighting for the downtrodden against larger opponents like the government in no small measure inspired us to fight oppressive giants today," the group said.
MEND, which claims to be fighting for a greater share of Nigeria's oil wealth for the impoverished people of the Niger Delta, has in the past three and a half years waged armed attacks against the country's lucrative oil industry.
The violence has substantially slashed Nigeria's oil production with daily output standing at 1.7 million barrels from 2.6 million in the beginning of 2006.
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