By Enitan Abdultawab
Social media activist Martins Vincent Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan, has criticised Nigeria’s legal profession, arguing that law can no longer be regarded as a noble profession in the country.
VeryDarkMan made the remarks while responding to criticism over his invitation to the Nigerian Bar Association’s 66th Annual General Conference in Port Harcourt, where he participated in a panel discussion on insecurity and shared his views on the challenges facing Nigerians.
His appearance at the conference attracted reactions from some members of the legal profession, who questioned the decision to invite him to the gathering.
Reacting to the criticism in a video shared on his social media page on Friday, VeryDarkMan said he attended the conference to speak on behalf of Nigerians who, according to him, often lack a platform to express their concerns.
“I spoke on behalf of the poor people. I spoke on behalf of the people that don’t have a voice,” he said.
He also questioned the reaction to his presence at an event attended by lawyers, asking why some members of the profession were uncomfortable with his participation.
“Because a son of nobody was seen in your midst,” he added.
Turning his attention to the legal profession, VeryDarkMan dismissed the notion that law remains a noble profession in Nigeria.
“This bunch of clowns are telling me that law is a noble profession,” he said.
He added, “Well, lately, law has not been a noble profession. I’m sorry to say. I’m not even sorry to say. It is what it is.”
The activist argued that many lawyers in Nigeria struggle to secure employment or practise their profession, describing law as one of the country’s poorest professions.
“But even you, some of you who are not even practising. Mind you, law is one of the most broke professions we have in the country,” he said.
“Because we never talk about it. Law is one of the most broke professions. One of the poorest professions in this country is law.”
VeryDarkMan further questioned the employment prospects of lawyers, asking how many trained legal practitioners have jobs and how many regularly appear in court.
“How many lawyers are there? How many lawyers have jobs? How many lawyers actually go to court? Ask yourself that,” he said.
He also criticised the number of people graduating from the Nigerian Law School despite what he described as limited opportunities within the profession.
“And every year, they say they have people graduating from law school. Four thousand have graduated from law school, only to end up selling bedsheets,” he added.
His comments come amid continued reactions to his appearance at the NBA conference, where he was invited to contribute to discussions on insecurity and issues affecting Nigerians.
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