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| Image: IG |
VeryDarkMan has opened up about his disagreement with human rights lawyer Femi Falana SAN, explaining why he has decided he will no longer accord the senior lawyer the respect he once did.
The controversy began after Falana questioned the decision by the Nigerian Bar Association to invite VeryDarkMan to participate in a panel discussion at its conference in Port Harcourt.
VeryDarkMan had attended the conference and took part in discussions centred on insecurity and the experiences of Nigerians affected by violence. However, Falana later expressed reservations about his inclusion, arguing that a conference of lawyers should bring in people with the appropriate expertise when discussing specialised matters such as national security.
According to Falana:
“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 none of our conferences was a circus show in the past.”
He also questioned the relevance of VeryDarkMan’s experience to a discussion on national security, saying:
“So, if you are bringing 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. But when you bring people who have nothing to do with the security of the country, there are problems.”
VeryDarkMan subsequently defended his participation, insisting that his contribution was based on his experiences outside the classroom and courtroom.
He said:
“In the last few years, I have been present where all these things have happened. I have seen things that a lot of security experts have not seen. This is not about book. It's about experience.”
He further explained that he believed ordinary Nigerians deserved to have their experiences represented in conversations about 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.”
However, what appears to have affected VeryDarkMan most was not simply Falana’s criticism of his appearance at the conference. He also recalled a personal encounter with the senior lawyer shortly after arriving in Rivers State.
According to VeryDarkMan, he met Falana at the hotel where he was staying and greeted him respectfully. He said he even prostrated before him before Falana asked what had brought him to Rivers State.
VeryDarkMan explained that he told Falana he was there for the NBA conference.
Recounting the encounter, he said:
“Many people have been criticising me for attending the NBA conference, but I decided to ignore them until Femi Falana SAN reacted to my invitation. The reason I responded to him was because, on the day I arrived in Rivers State for the conference, I saw Femi Falana at the hotel where I lodged. I prostrated before him and greeted him. He asked me what I came to do, and I told him I was in Rivers State for the NBA conference. He simply said, ‘Okay. I will never respect or greet SAN Femi Falana anywhere I see him. Never in my life will I see that man and acknowledge him. As far as I’m concerned, that respect is completely out of the window”.
For VeryDarkMan, the encounter made Falana’s subsequent criticism particularly difficult to accept. He said the respect he showed Falana during their meeting was genuine, which is why he felt strongly about the senior lawyer’s later comments concerning his participation at the conference.
The disagreement has consequently moved beyond the question of whether VeryDarkMan was suitable for the NBA panel. His latest comments show that he now considers his relationship with Falana fundamentally different from what it was before the conference.
VeryDarkMan maintains that his presence at the conference gave him an opportunity to speak from personal experience, while Falana’s position remains that discussions on specialised national-security matters should involve people with established expertise in that field.
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