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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 66th Annual General Conference in Port Harcourt. Falana argued that speakers addressing lawyers on specialised subjects such as national security should possess relevant professional knowledge or direct experience in the field.
Speaking on Channels Television, Falana said the NBA’s conferences should prioritise intellectual engagement rather than entertainment. He noted that while members of the public could provide valuable perspectives on issues such as justice delivery, discussions on national security should involve people who have worked within the country’s security architecture or have directly experienced insecurity.
Falana’s comments followed a defence of VDM’s invitation by some lawyers, including Professor Chidi Odinkalu, who argued that the legal profession should listen to people who interact with the justice system. Falana maintained that such public engagement was important but insisted that conference organisers should match speakers’ expertise with the subjects they are invited to discuss.
