Social media activist Martins Vincent Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan, has criticised Nigeria’s legal profession, saying law can no longer be regarded as a noble profession in the country.
VeryDarkMan made the remarks while reacting 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 spoke about issues affecting Nigerians.
His appearance at the conference had generated reactions from some members of the legal profession, with some questioning the decision to invite the social media activist to the gathering.
However, reacting to the criticism in a video shared on his social media page on Friday, VeryDarkMan said his participation was aimed at providing a platform for Nigerians whose concerns, he claimed, were often not adequately heard.
“I spoke on behalf of the poor people. I spoke on behalf of the people that don’t have a voice,” he said.
He questioned why his presence at the conference had become a subject of controversy, particularly given that the event was attended by members of the legal profession.
“Because a son of nobody was seen in your midst,” he added.
VeryDarkMan subsequently turned his criticism to the legal profession, rejecting the description of law as a noble profession in Nigeria.
“This bunch of clowns are telling me that law is a noble profession,” he said.
He continued, “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 a significant number of lawyers were either not practising or faced difficulties securing employment, describing law as one of the professions with poor economic prospects in the country.
“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.”
He also questioned the number of trained lawyers who have secured employment and how many are actively engaged in legal practice.
“How many lawyers are there? How many lawyers have jobs? How many lawyers actually go to court? Ask yourself that,” VeryDarkMan said.
He further questioned the growing number of law graduates entering the profession annually, arguing that the available opportunities did not appear to correspond with the number of people being trained.
“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.
The comments came amid reactions to VeryDarkMan’s participation in the NBA conference, where he was invited to contribute to discussions on insecurity and broader challenges confronting Nigerians.
While his appearance drew criticism from some members of the legal profession, VeryDarkMan maintained that he used the opportunity to speak about the concerns of ordinary Nigerians.
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