Human rights lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Femi Falana, has criticised the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) for inviting former Liberian President George Weah to speak at its annual conference.
Falana accused Weah’s administration of undermining judicial independence in Liberia and questioned the decision to give the former president a platform to address Nigerian lawyers on democracy and the rule of law.
He spoke on Monday, a day after Weah delivered the keynote address at the opening ceremony of the NBA’s 66th Annual General Conference in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
Falana urged the NBA to stop inviting African leaders whom he described as dictators to its conferences.
He alleged that during Weah’s presidency from 2018 to 2024, Liberia’s judiciary was compromised to the extent that citizens had to seek legal redress through the ECOWAS Court.
Citing the case of the Mandingo people of Liberia, Falana said the ECOWAS Court had ruled in favour of people whose properties were allegedly confiscated during the country’s civil war, but claimed that Weah’s administration refused to enforce the judgment.
He also cited the case of a former associate justice of Liberia’s Supreme Court, who he said was removed from office without justification. According to Falana, the ECOWAS Court subsequently ordered his reinstatement and awarded him $200,000, but the judgment was allegedly not enforced under Weah.
“Now, that is the man coming here to talk to us about the rule of law and democracy,” Falana said.
The SAN also accused Weah’s government of failing to adequately tackle drug trafficking in Liberia, alleging that drug barons gained significant influence during his tenure.
Falana therefore questioned the rationale behind inviting Weah to address Nigerian lawyers on democratic governance and the rule of law.
He urged the NBA to consider inviting African leaders whom he believes have demonstrated stronger commitments to democracy and good governance, mentioning Namibia’s female president, vice president and speaker, as well as the late former Premier of Western Nigeria, Obafemi Awolowo.
Weah, however, used his keynote address at the conference to call on lawyers to remain impartial in the administration of justice.
The former Liberian president stressed the importance of an independent judiciary and a fearless legal profession, arguing that democracy cannot be sustained by “strong men” but by strong institutions.
He warned that governments that claim to be democratic while tolerating corruption, colluding with judges and weakening the rule of law pose a threat to democratic governance.
Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara, who declared the conference open on Sunday, also called for a strong and independent judiciary, urging judges to remain courageous and committed to truth regardless of the status or affiliations of those appearing before them.