Nigeria, July 26 -- As the calendar inches toward July 27 once again, a question that haunts Lagos' political conscience surfaces with a dull throb: "Who remembers Funsho Williams?" For many Lagosians, particularly the younger generation caught in the whirlwind of today's socio-political complexities, the name might barely ring a bell. Yet, for those who lived through the political tides of the early 2000s, the name Funsho Williams evokes memories of a man whose life was violently cut short, and whose death left a gaping wound in the democratic process of Nigeria, one that is yet to heal.

On July 27, 2006, Engr. Anthony Olufunsho Williams was murdered in cold blood at his residence in Dolphin Estate, Ikoyi. The news stunned not just Lago...