- Femi Falana has criticised the NBA for inviting VeryDarkMan to its annual conference
- He questioned the activist’s expertise on national security
- Falana urged the NBA to restore its intellectual tradition
Human rights lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Femi Falana, has criticised the Nigerian Bar Association over its decision to invite social media personality Martins Vincent Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan, to speak at its annual conference.
Eko Hot Blog gathered that Falana expressed his concerns during an interview with Channels Television on Thursday while discussing the controversy surrounding VeryDarkMan’s appearance at the NBA’s 66th Annual General Conference in Port Harcourt.
VeryDarkMan spoke at the conference on issues relating to insecurity, but Falana questioned whether he had the expertise or experience required to address lawyers on such a specialised subject.
The senior lawyer argued that the NBA’s conferences should prioritise intellectual discussions and invite speakers whose professional backgrounds or experiences are directly connected to the topics being examined.
Falana recalled that previous NBA conferences featured respected professionals and academics whose presentations generated serious debates within and outside the legal profession.
He said discussions on national security should involve individuals with direct experience in the country’s security architecture or people who had been directly affected by insecurity.
According to him, bringing individuals without relevant knowledge to discuss specialised matters risks turning professional conferences into entertainment platforms rather than opportunities for learning and intellectual engagement.
Falana’s comments came after the presenter referred to arguments from some lawyers, including Professor Chidi Odinkalu, who defended VeryDarkMan’s invitation as a way of allowing lawyers to hear from members of the public who have dealings with the justice system.
While acknowledging the importance of public engagement, Falana said that argument did not necessarily support the choice of VeryDarkMan to speak specifically on national security.
He explained that members of the public could appropriately contribute to discussions about justice delivery, but specialised security discussions should feature security professionals, researchers or victims of crimes such as abduction.
The senior lawyer also urged the NBA to revive what he described as the intellectual tradition of its conferences.
He cited past presentations by prominent legal figures, including the late Dr Akinola Aguda and former Justice Chukwudifu Oputa, saying their contributions continued to generate debates among lawyers and the wider public long after the conferences ended.
Falana further called for greater scrutiny when political leaders are invited to speak on democracy and the rule of law.
He argued that former leaders addressing lawyers on such issues should be able to demonstrate through their records that they respected judicial orders, protected civil liberties and upheld press freedom while in office.
The debate over VeryDarkMan’s participation in the NBA conference has continued to attract reactions, particularly following his claims concerning the conduct of security personnel and the wider security situation in Nigeria.
