Dele Farotimi has defended VeryDarkMan’s place at the Nigerian Bar Association conference, saying the social commentator’s rise is a reflection of how difficult it has become for ordinary Nigerians to get justice through the proper channels.
Farotimi said VeryDarkMan would probably not have become such a powerful voice if the police and courts were working in a way that gave Nigerians confidence.
In a post he shared, he said:
“A society that has a functional police system and court will not tolerate the presence of VeryDarkMan. VDM is merely the image in your mirror. The society you have built requires VDM to fight for justice; it is easier to fight for justice through him than through the courts. They say the judiciary is the last hope of the common man. Apparently, I disagree. VeryDarkMan is now the last hope of the common man in Nigeria.”
The comment came after the Nigerian Bar Association invited VeryDarkMan to its conference in Port Harcourt, where he took part in a discussion on insecurity.
The invitation had already attracted criticism, particularly from Femi Falana SAN, who questioned the decision to have VeryDarkMan participate in a discussion involving national security.
Falana stated that people invited to speak on such matters should have the necessary experience and knowledge in the field.
VeryDarkMan, on his part, defended his presence at the conference. He said his contribution came from his experiences dealing with Nigerians affected by insecurity and other problems, rather than from academic qualifications.
Farotimi’s statement focused less on VeryDarkMan’s qualifications and more on why someone like him has become necessary in the first place.
His noted that when people cannot get satisfactory answers from the police or obtain justice through the courts, they naturally turn to someone they believe will listen to them and bring attention to their problems.
That, according to Farotimi, is where VeryDarkMan comes in.
He described VDM as “the image in your mirror”, suggesting that his popularity is not simply about the individual but also about the circumstances that have allowed him to become a voice for people who feel ignored by the system.
Farotimi also took issue with the familiar description of the judiciary as the last hope of the common man. In his view, that description does not match the experience of many Nigerians who struggle to get justice through the courts.
He believes VeryDarkMan’s emergence is therefore connected to a much bigger problem. If the institutions responsible for protecting citizens and delivering justice worked effectively, there would be little room for someone outside those institutions to take on such a role.
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GBAM
I concur