VDM Fires Back At Falana, Other Lawyers For Critising NBA Conference Invite

Social media activist Martins Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan (VDM), has reacted to comments by human rights lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Femi Falana, over his invitation to speak at the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) conference.

Falana had criticised the decision to feature VDM as a panellist in a discussion bordering on insecurity and the activities of unknown gunmen, arguing that individuals invited to speak on security-related issues should have relevant expertise or a record of contribution to the country’s security architecture.

Reacting to Falana’s comments in a video posted on his social media page, VDM said he was disappointed by the senior lawyer’s position, particularly his reference to the invitation of “somebody from nowhere” to speak at the conference.

According to the activist, Falana’s comment made him understand what he described as the real reason behind the opposition to his invitation by some lawyers and other members of the elite.

VDM argued that the criticism stemmed from classism and resentment over the invitation of someone he described as “the son of a nobody” to participate in a gathering of prominent legal practitioners.

“I listened to Femi Falana, and I’m not going to lie to you, I was so disappointed in the great Femi Falana. I was really, really disappointed,” he said.

“But then again, after I spoke, I understood why a lot of them were upset. Femi Falana gave me the answer as to why a lot of these people seem to be very upset.

He said, ‘You just went to bring somebody from nowhere.’ And that is the problem.

“Their problem is that the son of a nobody was invited. That is simply what has been going on in the media, and Femi Falana just made it clear to me.”

Falana, while expressing his reservations about VDM’s participation in the panel, had argued that discussions on national security should feature individuals with relevant knowledge or experience in the sector.

“If you bring in an expert to discuss the security of the country, either from the private or public sector, such an individual must have contributed to the security architecture of the country,” Falana said.

“But when you bring people who have nothing to do with the security of the country, there are problems with that.”

However, VDM rejected the argument that only experts should be allowed to speak on issues of insecurity, insisting that his experiences and encounters with the realities faced by ordinary Nigerians had given him a perspective worth sharing.

“This is not about books. It’s about experience. And when you want to talk about security, security is for everybody. Security is not for some set of people,” he said.

The activist said he had witnessed the effects of insecurity in ways that most people had not experienced, arguing that the voices of ordinary citizens should also be represented in conversations about national security.

VDM also criticised what he described as the hypocrisy of those questioning his participation, taking a swipe at security experts and policies surrounding the rehabilitation and reintegration of former Boko Haram members.

He said his decision to speak at the conference was motivated by a desire to draw attention to the experiences of ordinary Nigerians and victims of insecurity.

“I spoke on behalf of the poor masses. I spoke on behalf of the poor people. I spoke on behalf of the people that don’t have a voice,” he said.

“When people want justice, who do they call? They call VeryDarkMan. Are you not ashamed?” he asked.

“Are you not ashamed of the audacity to say law is a noble profession? A noble profession that rich men are buying judgment every day. That the poor don’t believe that they can get justice in the court,” he said.