By Opeyemi Adelakun
Human rights lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Femi Falana, has faulted the Nigerian Bar Association for inviting former Liberian President George Weah to speak at its 66th Annual General Conference in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
Falana made the criticism in a video posted on the NBA’s YouTube channel on Monday, a day after Weah delivered the keynote address at the conference themed, “Beyond Limits.”
The senior lawyer argued that Weah’s invitation was inappropriate, alleging that his administration, which governed Liberia from 2018 to 2024, undermined judicial independence and failed to comply with judgments of the ECOWAS Court.
“Ladies and gentlemen, I’m delighted to be here. But let me say this, because you know I have to be frank with the audience. And this goes for the leadership of the Bar,” Falana said.
“I want to appeal that the Bar Association must stop—stop inviting dictators in Africa to come and address us.”
Falana urged the NBA leadership to adopt stricter criteria when selecting personalities to address its conferences.
He suggested that the association should consider inviting leaders he described as examples of democratic and progressive leadership, citing the President, Vice President and Speaker of Namibia, all of whom are women, as examples.
He also mentioned the late Nigerian politician, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, as a personality whose leadership legacy would be worthy of discussion at such gatherings.
NBA honours VeryDarkMan
Meanwhile, the NBA presented a recognition award to social media influencer Martins Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan, during the ongoing 2026 Annual General Conference in Port Harcourt.
Otse received the award on Tuesday after participating as a panellist at the conference, where he discussed insecurity and other challenges confronting the country.
Presenting the award, the moderator said the association appreciated Otse for attending the conference and sharing his experiences with participants.
The moderator also cautioned the influencer against taking the law into his own hands when confronted with attacks.
“But please, when you are attacked, don’t kill. Report to the police,” the moderator said.
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