Human rights lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria Femi Falana has strongly criticised the Nigerian Bar Association for inviting former Liberian President George Weah as a keynote speaker at its annual conference.
Falana accused Weah’s administration of undermining judicial independence in Liberia.
Speaking in a video posted on the NBA’s YouTube channel on Monday, after Weah’s address at the 66th Annual General Conference in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, on Sunday, Falana was blunt.
“Ladies and gentlemen, I’m delighted to be here. But let me say this, because you know I have to be frank with the audience. And this goes for the leadership of the Bar. I want to appeal that the Bar Association must stop inviting dictators in Africa to come and address us,” he said.
He claimed that under Weah’s rule from 2018 to 2024, the Liberian judiciary was effectively captured, forcing citizens to seek justice outside the country at the ECOWAS Court.
Falana cited a case involving Mandingo people whose land was allegedly seized during the war.
The ECOWAS Court ruled in their favour, he said, but Weah refused to enforce the judgment.
The current Boakai administration has only recently set up a committee to implement it.Falana also referenced the dismissal of an associate justice of Liberia’s Supreme Court.
The ECOWAS Court later nullified the dismissal, ordered the justice’s reinstatement, and awarded $200,000 in compensation yet Weah’s government again failed to comply, according to the senior lawyer.
“Now, that is the man coming here to talk to us about the rule of law and democracy,” Falana remarked.
He further alleged that drug trafficking flourished during Weah’s tenure. Falana noted that on 19 August, Weah’s former vice president, Jewel Howard-Taylor (referred to as Madam Edith in the remarks), was arrested and is standing trial over alleged drug trafficking involving $370 million.
He also criticised Weah for leaving Liberia for nine days during the 2022 World Cup in Qatar to support his son Timothy, who played for the United States, claiming public funds were used for the trip.
Falana urged the NBA to be more selective, pointing to Namibia’s female president, vice president and speaker, as well as Nigeria’s late Obafemi Awolowo, as more suitable figures to invite.
Weah, in his keynote address themed around the conference’s “Beyond Limits” focus, had called on lawyers and judges to remain impartial and stressed the need for an independent judiciary protected by a fearless legal profession.
He warned that democracy is tested daily and cannot survive on “strong men” but on strong institutions, describing corrupt governments that collude with judges to undermine the rule of law as a major threat.
Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara, who declared the conference open, similarly called for a courageous and independent judiciary.The 66th NBA Annual General Conference took place in Port Harcourt.
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