Falana rejects defense of VDM’s conference role, demands experienced speakers
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. We wanted to learn from them, and so the NBA was not… none of our conferences was a side show in the past.” Falana said the choice of speakers...
