Social media critic Martins Vincent Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan (VDM), has responded to Senior Advocate of Nigeria and human rights lawyer Femi Falana following criticism of his invitation to speak at the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) Annual General Conference in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
Falana, during an interview with Channels Television, had faulted the NBA for featuring VDM as a panelist at a session on national security titled “Known Gunmen or Unknown Gunmen.” He argued that discussions on such a critical issue should involve individuals with proven expertise and experience within Nigeria’s security architecture.
The legal practitioner also said NBA conferences should provide platforms for intellectual engagement rather than entertainment.
Reacting to Falana’s comments, VDM accused him and other critics of classism, arguing that their objection was largely because someone from a humble background had been invited to speak before an audience of elites.
VDM said:
“Their problem is that the son of a nobody was invited. The problem these people have is that the son of a nobody was invited to speak where elites are seated. This has been the problem. Classism. These are a bunch of classists. All of them! They mask it up with the talk of, ‘Oh, you should have invited a security expert.’
“Which security expert are you talking about? Security experts that advise them that when they arrest Boko Haram they should rehabilitate them and send them back to society. Is that the security experts we are talking about? Which nonsense security experts are we talking about here?
“In the last few years, I have been present where all these things have happened. I have seen things these security experts have not seen. It’s not about books. It is about experience. And when you want to talk about security, it is for everybody. It is not for some set of people.”
VDM also criticised the legal profession, questioning Falana’s description of law as a “noble profession” amid widespread public concerns about the justice system.
“And talking about law, these bunch of clowns are telling me that law is a noble profession. Well, lately, law hasn’t been a noble profession. It is what it is. When people want justice, who do they call? They call VDM!
“Are you not ashamed to be a lawyer in this country where people no longer believe in the justice system of this country? They believe in VDM’s type of justice? Are you not ashamed? And you have the audacity to say it is a noble profession?
“A noble profession that rich men are buying judgment every day? That the poor don’t believe they can get justice in court? What is noble about that? When people can pay for judgment. What is noble about that? Have you forgotten the meaning of noble?”
The social critic further claimed that he had helped more people obtain justice than many lawyers who criticised him online, challenging them to point to their contributions to society.
“Most of the lawyers talking on Twitter, I have won more cases and given people justice more than most of them put together. Should I start telling you how much I have recovered? What have you stood up for in this country, these so-called lawyers?
“At least, I can trace what I have done. Judges have been kidnapped, how many of you have spoken up?”
VDM also questioned the credibility of some of the individuals he said the NBA could have invited instead, alleging that some had been involved in corruption and the mismanagement of public resources.
“The people that you want to come and speak are a bunch of thieves. People that have stolen our country’s wealth before. Is it not you people that jail politicians? Go and check my records; I have never stolen anything before, never defrauded anybody before,” he added.
