Human rights lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Femi Falana, has strongly criticized the leadership of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) for hosting former Liberian President George Weah as the keynote speaker at its annual gathering, accusing Weah’s administration of systematically undermining judicial independence and flouting regional court rulings.
Falana’s scathing critique was featured in a video published on the official NBA YouTube channel on Monday, just a day after Weah delivered his keynote speech at the official opening of the 66th NBA Annual General Conference held in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, on Sunday.
Addressing the conference delegates, Falana urged the legal body to vet its invited guests carefully and stop providing platforms to leaders with questionable democratic records.
”I want to appeal that the Bar Association must stop… stop inviting dictators in Africa to come and address us,” Falana stated. “Mr. Weah, George Weah, who was here yesterday and was talking about the judiciary: in his country, his regime captured the judiciary to the extent that they had to contact some of us outside the country to get legal redress in the ECOWAS Court.”
During his address, Falana outlined several grievances against the former Liberian leader’s tenure between 2018 and 2024:
Falana referenced a property dispute case involving the Mandingo people of Liberia, whose lands were seized during the Liberian civil war. Despite obtaining a favorable judgment from the Community Court of Justice of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS Court), the Weah administration allegedly refused to enforce it.
He accused Weah’s government of creating an environment where Liberian citizens were forced to seek international legal intervention to secure basic rights.
Instead of individuals with compromised records, Falana advised the Bar to showcase progressive African governance models, citing female leaders in Namibia as well as the legacy of Chief Obafemi Awolowo.
Falana’s remarks directly countered the themes presented during Sunday’s opening session. Delivering his keynote address under the conference theme “Beyond Limits,” former President George Weah urged lawyers and judges to champion impartiality and maintain an unyielding defense of the rule of law.
Weah argued that democracy cannot rely on “strong men” but on resilient institutions, warning against governments that mask corruption behind democratic facades while colluding with judges.
Declaring the conference open on Sunday, Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara echoed similar sentiments. Governor Fubara called for a fearless, independent judiciary, emphasizing that judges must administer justice without fear or favor, regardless of the political or social standing of litigants.
The NBA leadership has yet to issue an official response regarding Falana’s public rebuke.
