Human rights lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Femi Falana, has criticised the Nigerian Bar Association for inviting social media activist Martins Vincent Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan, to speak at its annual conference.
Falana spoke in an interview with Channels Television on Thursday while reacting to the controversy surrounding VDM’s appearance at the NBA’s 66th Annual General Conference in Port Harcourt, where he addressed issues surrounding insecurity.
The senior lawyer said speakers invited to address lawyers should have relevant expertise or experience in the subject under discussion.
According to Falana, NBA conferences should provide opportunities for intellectual engagement rather than serve as entertainment platforms.
He argued that discussions on specialised matters, particularly national security, should involve people with direct knowledge of the subject or experience within the country’s security architecture.
“If you are bringing an expert to discuss the security of the country, either from the private or public sector, such an individual must have contributed to the security architecture of the country,” Falana said.
He maintained that inviting individuals without relevant experience to speak on specialised issues could undermine the purpose of the conference.
Falana’s comments followed a reference to arguments by some lawyers, including Professor Chidi Odinkalu, who defended VDM’s invitation as an opportunity for the legal profession to hear directly from members of the public who interact with the justice system.
Responding, Falana said Odinkalu’s argument was valid in a broader context but did not necessarily justify inviting someone without relevant expertise to speak on a specialised security topic.
“With profound respect to my very good friend Chidi Odinkalu, he was talking in the general sense. We’re talking of this particular case,” he said.
Falana acknowledged the importance of lawyers engaging with members of the public but said discussions on security should involve people directly connected to the subject, including security professionals and victims of abduction.
Falana recalls NBA’s intellectual tradition
The senior lawyer also urged the NBA to return to what he described as the intellectual tradition of its conferences.
He recalled presentations by prominent legal figures, including the late Dr Akinola Aguda and Justice Chukwudifu Oputa, which he said generated debates among lawyers and wider public discourse long after the conferences.
Falana further called for careful consideration of the credentials of political leaders invited to speak about democracy and the rule of law.
He argued that the records of former political leaders should be examined when they are invited to address lawyers on such subjects.
The controversy over VDM’s appearance at the NBA conference has continued to attract reactions, particularly following his allegations concerning the conduct of security personnel in relation to kidnapping and insecurity in Nigeria.
