Falana Tells NBA to Stop Handing Its Microphone to African "Dictators"

A Pointed Rebuke on the NBA's Own Stage

Senior Advocate of Nigeria Femi Falana has openly criticised the Nigerian Bar Association for inviting former Liberian President George Weah to deliver the keynote address at its 66th Annual General Conference in Port Harcourt. Speaking a day after Weah's address, in a video later posted to the NBA's own YouTube channel, Falana appealed directly to the Bar's leadership to stop bringing what he called African "dictators" to speak to Nigerian lawyers.

The Case Against Weah

Falana grounded his criticism in Weah's 2018, 2024 tenure, arguing the Liberian judiciary was so compromised that citizens were forced to seek redress outside the country, at the ECOWAS Court. He pointed to a case involving the Mandingo people, whose land was allegedly seized during Liberia's civil war: the ECOWAS Court ruled in their favour, he said, but Weah's government declined to enforce the judgment, a decision only reversed once the Boakai administration set up an enforcement committee. He also referenced the removal of a Liberian Supreme Court justice without, he claimed, proper justification, and raised unsubstantiated allegations linking Weah's former deputy to a drug-trafficking case.

A Call for Different Role Models

Rather than leaders like Weah, Falana suggested the NBA look to figures he considers more fitting models of democratic conduct , naming Namibia's female president, vice president and Speaker, alongside Nigeria's late Obafemi Awolowo, as examples worth platforming instead.

Weah's Own Message Undercut by the Timing

The irony was not lost on observers: Weah had used his keynote to urge Nigerian lawyers and judges to remain impartial, describing an independent judiciary backed by a fearless legal profession as essential to any functioning democracy. He warned that democratic systems cannot rely on "strong men" but must be anchored in strong institutions, and cautioned against governments that outwardly perform democracy while colluding with compromised courts. Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara, who formally opened the conference, echoed similar themes in his own remarks.

Other Grievances Raised

Falana also took issue with Weah's decision to spend roughly nine days away from Liberia during the 2022 FIFA World Cup to support his son, Timothy, who played for the United States, suggesting the trip was publicly funded, though he offered no further evidence for the claim.

What Happens Next

The NBA leadership had not issued a formal response to Falana's remarks as at the time of writing. The exchange adds to a broader, recurring conversation within the Bar about who it chooses to platform at its most visible annual event, and what that choice signals about the profession's own commitment to judicial independence. For now, the conference theme, "Beyond Limits," sits in uneasy tension with a debate over exactly whose limits and whose record deserve scrutiny before an invitation is extended.