Law Is One Of Nigeria’s Poorest Professions— VeryDarkMan

Social media activist Martins Vincent Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan, has described law as one of the poorest professions in Nigeria while hitting back at lawyers who criticised his invitation to the Nigerian Bar Association’s 66th Annual General Conference.

VeryDarkMan was invited to participate in a panel session on insecurity at the NBA conference in Port Harcourt, where he spoke about the security challenges confronting Nigerians and shared his experiences as a social activist.

His appearance at the conference, however, triggered criticism from some members of the legal profession, with questions raised over why the NBA invited him to address lawyers.

Reacting to the backlash in a video shared on social media on Friday, VeryDarkMan said he attended the conference to represent poor Nigerians and people whose voices were often ignored.

“I spoke on behalf of the poor people. I spoke on behalf of the people that don’t have a voice,” he said.

The activist also questioned why some lawyers were uncomfortable with his presence at the conference.

“Because a son of nobody was seen in your midst,” he said.

He subsequently took aim at the legal profession, rejecting the description of law as a noble profession.

“This bunch of clowns are telling me that law is a noble profession,” VeryDarkMan said.

“Well, lately, law has not been a noble profession. I’m sorry to say. I’m not even sorry to say. It is what it is.”

He argued that a large number of lawyers in Nigeria struggle to secure employment or practise their profession.

“But even you, some of you who are not even practising. Mind you, law is one of the most broke professions we have in the country,” he said.

“One of the poorest professions in this country is law.”

VeryDarkMan further questioned the employment opportunities available to lawyers despite the continued graduation of thousands of law students.

“How many lawyers are there? How many lawyers have jobs? How many lawyers actually go to court? Ask yourself that,” he said.

He also criticised the regular graduation of new lawyers from the Nigerian Law School, arguing that many end up working outside the legal profession because of limited opportunities.

“And every year, they say they have people graduating from law school. Four thousand have graduated from law school, only to end up selling bedsheets,” he added.

His comments came amid a growing controversy over his invitation to the NBA’s annual conference, which brought together legal practitioners from across the country.

The activist’s participation in the panel had earlier drawn criticism from some lawyers, including senior legal practitioner Femi Falana, who questioned the decision to invite him.

VeryDarkMan, however, maintained that his invitation was based on his practical experience and advocacy rather than formal legal training.