By Chibuike Nwabuko
ABUJA (PRECISE POST) – Human rights lawyer and former Chairman of the Nigerian Human Rights Commission, Prof Chidi Odinkalu, has defended the invitation of social media activist VeryDarkMan (VDM) to address the Nigerian Bar Association’s Annual General Conference in Port Harcourt.
Odinkalu, in a post on his X handle on Tuesday, said criticisms by some lawyers over VDM’s presence at the conference were misplaced, arguing that ordinary Nigerians have a legitimate stake in the legal profession because they are users and beneficiaries of the country’s legal institutions.
“I see a lot of people who claim to be lawyers in Nigeria carping at the presence of @Verydakman_ to address the @NigBarAssoc’s #NBAAGC2026 in Port Harcourt,” Odinkalu said.
He described VDM’s participation as a form of “customer feedback,” stressing that citizens who are not lawyers are nevertheless customers of lawyers, the courts and other legal institutions.
According to him, the legal profession should be open to hearing criticisms and experiences from members of the public who are affected by the justice system.
Odinkalu questioned why lawyers accused of bribing judges, as well as judges alleged to have taken bribes or delivered judgments they did not write, could speak about ethics within the profession while citizens affected by such practices were denied a platform.
“By the way, lawyers who bribe judges can address us in the NBA with a straight face about ethics & things like that,” he said.
“Judges who take bribes & read judgments sometimes not even written by them or in their courts can address us in fine accoutrements & we hail them. So, why can’t we abide citizens who are affected by this mess?”
Odinkalu therefore reiterated that the participation of citizens such as VDM should be viewed as an opportunity for the legal profession to listen to public concerns.
“It’s customer feedback & it’s a good thing too!” he added.
