By: Odeh Favour Adiya
Social media activist Martins Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan, has reacted to the criticism by human rights lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Femi Falana, regarding his invitation to speak at the Nigerian Bar Association conference.
Otse spoke in a video shared on his social media page on Friday, while reacting to Falana’s comments that the NBA should not invite “somebody from nowhere” to speak on specialised issues such as national security.
According to Otse, Falana’s remarks had made it clearer to him why some people were opposed to his invitation to the conference.
Describing the issue as “classism”, Otse said he believed his invitation had been questioned because of his background and status compared with those attending the conference.
“The problem these people have is that the son of a nobody was invited to come and speak where elites are seated,” he said.
He said he was particularly disappointed by Falana’s reason for questioning his invitation, arguing that his experience of insecurity qualified him to contribute to discussions on the subject.
“Lately 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 not about book. It’s about experience,” he said.
The reaction followed Otse’s appearance at the NBA’s 66th Annual General Conference in Port Harcourt, where he participated in a discussion on insecurity.
Falana, in an interview with Channels Television on Thursday, said the NBA’s conferences in the past featured individuals whose expertise could provide lawyers with useful knowledge on specific subjects.
He argued that discussions on national security should involve people with direct knowledge of or experience in the country’s security architecture, while acknowledging the importance of hearing from members of the public on issues affecting justice delivery.
Falana had earlier criticised the NBA’s decision to invite Otse as a speaker at its annual conference, arguing that individuals invited to address lawyers on specialised subjects should have relevant expertise or experience in those fields.
Reacting to the criticism, Otse said security was an issue affecting everyone, particularly ordinary Nigerians who were exposed to insecurity.
“Security is for everybody. Security is not for some set of people. And this has been the problem,” he said.
The activist said his presence at the conference was aimed at drawing attention to the experiences of ordinary Nigerians affected by 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.
Otse said he had not expected Falana to take the position he expressed on his invitation.
“I wasn’t expecting this angle from Femi Falana SAN, but well, it is what it is,” he said.
