Falana Rejects VDM's NBA Conference Role, Demands Experts

Senior Advocate of Nigeria Femi Falana has criticized the Nigerian Bar Association for inviting social media activist VeryDarkMan to speak at its annual conference. Falana argued that conference speakers should possess relevant professional expertise rather than being chosen for entertainment value.
Why it matters
The debate highlights tensions between traditional professional standards and the rising influence of social media figures in public discourse.
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 made his position known in an interview with Channels Television on Thursday while commenting on the controversy that followed VDM’s appearance at the NBA’s 66th Annual General Conference in Port Harcourt, where he spoke on insecurity. The senior lawyer argued that speakers invited to address lawyers should have relevant expertise or experience in the subject being discussed, saying the NBA’s conferences should be platforms for intellectual engagement rather than entertainment. He said, “In those days, the NBA brought individuals who had paid their dues, who were coming to engage lawyers intellectually.
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in